


Mi to Mi

by vysaisho



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, F/F, Gen, Hallucinations, Hearing Voices, Implied background relationships, Nightmares, Other characters make eventual appearances, misaki is tired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-10-06 14:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17346698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vysaisho/pseuds/vysaisho
Summary: After a nightmare, Misaki starts questioning her own selfOne of many to come, she might/not get the answers she is looking forAlternative title: Michelle is...Edit: Updated title, added new tags, edited summary





	1. Nightmare

Hello Happy World! Live Performance - Closing

 

 **“We are Hello Happy World! And remember, keep smiling!”** Kokoro’s voice echoed from and back to the stage after the last song from their most recent live. **“I am the voice, Tsurumaki Kokoro!”** She stood triumphantly at the front, now signaling the orange-haired girl to her right **“Bassist, Kitazawa Hagumi! Happy, Lucky”** **“Smile, Yay!”**. On her left, a purple-haired girl had been making rather extravagant poses **“Guitar, Seta Kaoru!”** **“Ah, how fleeting…”**. **“Drums, Matsubara Kanon!”** The shy one tried to hid her blushing face, letting out a small **“Fuee…”**. **“And our DJ…”** ‘ _Finally…_ ’ **“Michelle!”** ‘ _Okusawa Misaki…_ ’ The pink bear behind the DJ table merely waved a hand ‘ _Ah… I’m feeling numb… it’s getting pretty steamy in here…_ ’.

Once the lights had died down, and the curtain was closed, the band made their exit to the backstage. **“Everyone, good job!”** **“Let’s celebrate Kokoron!”** **“I live to please my little kittens~”** **“I think we did well…”** Taking their seats in the room, they all proceeded to remove hats and accessories, save for one **“I can’t… reach it…”** The suit’s arms weren’t long enough, for there was only one way, which was to nod until it fell off ‘ _...Must be heat, but I just remembered I could just took the head off…_ ’

After that thought, Misaki made an effort to move her hands to the base of the costume’s _neck_ , with an attempt to push it up to it came off _‘Eh?’_ First try, something itched on her neck _‘Maybe it got stuck…’_ Applying a little force, a second try was made, but the itch became a small stinging _‘Ah! Shit…’_ **“Oi, Kanon-san, could you help me?”** **“Sure, is there anything you might need?”** **“Yeah, the head got stuck… and it’s getting a little cramped in here…”** Kanon gave Misaki a weird look, a little puzzled at the words she just had said **“What… do you mean?”**.

For a moment Misaki stopped thinking, before talking back to herself _‘Is she.. For real?’_ **“Kanon, I want to take the suit off…”** **“Ah, then get up, i’ll give you a hand”** After getting a proper answer, the pink bear slowly stood up from the seat, letting the clueless girl do her thing. **“There”** Although, it didn’t go as expected once Misaki saw herself on the mirror nearby _‘...’_ Now it was just the bear costume without the HaroHapi uniform, ‘ _Maybe she’s hanging out too much with the idiot trio…_ ’ **“Kanon-san, this isn’t what I meant… I need you to pull out my head”** Luckily the other three weren’t present at the time, otherwise they would be all over the pink bear due to that statement.

Misaki had placed both _paws_ on Kanon’s shoulders, making her best effort to stand still **“I don’t know if you are joking with me, but please…”** She was feeling something pressing against her chest **“...It's getting hard to breathe in here”**. Now it was there, the usual expression the dummer made whenever she was feeling awkward or scared **“But… but that would mean… a-are you okay? You are scaring me, Michelle…”**. Misaki couldn’t help but feel that pressure in her chest becoming heavier, **“...what… did you call me?”** **“That’s… your name isn’t it?  Michelle…”**. It either had to be a bad joke, or Kokoro did something to hit the light-blue-haired girl’s head really hard **“Ka-kanon-san… It’s me, Misaki…”** Her words a little shaky, with a little hope the other girl would react **“Misaki? Michelle, who are you talking about?”**.

Time froze, the grip on Kanon’s shoulder became tighter, Misaki’s legs started to feel weak **“Please...”** **“Mi-michelle, you are really scaring me”** But Kanon didn’t let go of the bear’s arms, holding them as hard as she could **“Let… let me go and i’ll get the others…”** **“No!”** A small outburst, **“Just… just say my name please…”** **“You are Michelle…”**. Inhale, exhale. **“No… no…”** **Inhale, exhale,** **“I am Misaki… Okusawa Misaki”** Inhale… exhale **“You know… forget that, just help me take off this costume!”** Finally letting go of the girl, Misake went back to the vain attempt at removing the head, which only resulted in stinging pain on her own neck _‘Why… does this hurt so much…’_.

 **“I...I will get the others!”** Those were Kanon’s last words before she turned around and ran towards the closest exit, **“No, wait! Kanon-san!”** Leaving behind a bear costume on her knees, _paws_ clawing at the joint between the neck and the torso. ‘ _It…I can’t breathe… my chest… hurts_ ’ Sight getting blurry, both her’s and the costume’s eyes were getting blurry **“Someone… please…”** Slowly, the rest of her body started to give up to the numbness, until her eyes closed fully.

  
  


Okusawa Residence - Nighttime

 

Eyes opening, greeted by darkness, mouth gasping for air, and a girl jolting up as soon as she could feel her body. Falling on her lap was a bear shaped pillow, stained with what she realized were tears which still were forming at the corner of her eyes.  **“Ah… just… ah… a dream…”** . Once she caught her breath, Misaki started to look around. She was in her room, everything seemed to be normal, save for the shivering sensation she had once she laid eyes on the accursed costume in one corner of the room. 

After managing to get up and turn on the lights, she had thoughts her problems would be solved by covering the pink bear with a blanket to keep it out of her sight, **“Four in the morning… I shouldn't have had that many choco cornets with Rimi…”** now the plan was going back to sleep, with nothing in mind but just going to school in a few hours. That would have been the case, if it wasn't for the sound of rummaging that didn't let her close her eyes. Facing the wall, she refused to turn around, telling herself that it was just her mind playing games after a bad nightmare. 

 

**“don't worry, sleep, everything will be okay”**

 

Misaki’s blood froze for second, she had the usual talks with herself, but that one felt strangely vivid to be the voice in her head.

 

**“ Michelle will take care of you”**

 

That voice, it was hers, but that monotonous tone and muffling could only mean something.

 

**“if you are feeling down, just give Michelle a good old hug”**

 

Fear and curiosity were a weird mix, _‘you are just a costume… you are not real…’_ she refused to come out from under the covers, but it gave in to take a peek at whatever was there. From what she could discern, the shadow on the wall belonged to Michelle, which has it hands up and placed on her head. 

 

**“or would you rather... “**

 

Fear struck deep, unable to move or react at all. The shadow kept moving, the voice becoming clearer. It slowly pulled up the head, until… 

 

**“...give yourself a hug?"**

 

The silhouette was now that of herself, she would be dumb to not recognize it. The only thing she could do the moment she could react was to pull the covers over her head once again, closing her eyes as hard as she could, hoping that the feeling of being observed went away as soon as possible. 


	2. Chapter 2

Morning came, sunlight illuminating the room of HaroHapi’s manager and DJ, who, for obvious reasons, didn't get much sleep last night. Managing to get out of her bed, slightly shaken from her _nightmare_. **"My phone…”** it was six, almost seven, just a few minutes to prepare and go to school, if she had the will to do so, which she didn't.

First thing she did was to look at herself in the mirror, looking as bad as hers first days in the band. She looked at her uniform, shaking her head before grabbing her usual clothes, ready to go out without saying a word, by the silence in the house, she assumed her parents had gone to work and her little siblings were at school. The chill winter wind welcomed her after she walked outside, not before letting the band know she wouldn't be available all day, and possibly the next one, for no reason whatsoever, just a ‘i don't feel like it’.

She didn't want anything to do with the band or Michelle, at least not for today,  ‘ _ i just need some time for myself…’  _ . With that being said, her first stop was the cafe near Circle, she wasn’t going to start the day on a empty stomach.

She had expected to be questioned about why she wasn't at school, specially with various students from Hanasakigawa passing nearby. Luckily none of them recognized the girl with the hat or even bothered to look at her direction. A hot coffee and a few cookies, enough to survive early morning cold weather and to compensate the lack of sleep. Now she just had to find something to do until it was time to go back home.

The first place to go would be the park, to just sit on one of the swings until something eventually happened. For a moment she reminisced  ' _T_ _ hat dream… it felt way too real _ …’ just a sign that the band was taking a toll on Misaki's sanity  ‘ _ Am I really just Michelle for them _ ?’ then again, the idiot trio were a special case  ‘ _ but for even Kanon to think that way.. I am Misaki, Misaki is Michelle _ …’ but where did Misaki stopped and Michelle started? Or is it the other way around?  ‘ _Maybe I_ _  should just have quit when I could… but Kanon… she doesn't want to leave Kokoro alone… _ ’ She wasn’t familiar with Tsurumaki’s affairs outside the band and random daily shenanigans, but she was pretty sure it had to do with ‘making people smile’.

Next stop, maybe the music store. No. She had already her mind set on doing nothing related to the band. Her eyes examined the surroundings, she would have expected to see little kids playing around, but then again, it was a school day. A quick trip to downtown was it, place where she would be working, just hoping her ‘boss’ didn’t catch her. Hagumi’s place was close, but the girl herself wasn’t, which mean one less headache.

 

Downtown - Late Morning

 

**“Hai hai, come and get your balloons!”**

 

Misaki’s head echoed with those words, repeated over and over almost everyday, once she passed by the intersection she usually stood by when working as the happy pink bear. Rubbing her eyes to get some sleep off of her might do the work, though, upon opening her eyes, what she saw made her let out a small  **“Ah!”** One blink, and she saw a very familiar  _ paw _ , a second blink, and it was her own hand again. With hopes of not having drawn any attention, the girl quickly made haste toward the closest alley, just to catch a breathe after the scare.

_ ‘Good, i’m seeing things now…’  _ Going to school didn’t sound as bad now. Back on her tracks, all she had to do was to keep going, and let the fresh air clear her mind. And nothing spoke fresh air better than the riverside road a few blocks away. Misaki wasn’t keeping track of time, but she wasn’t surprised when she saw it was almost noon after all that walking around.

    The wind grew colder as she got closed to the river, although she wouldn’t mind getting sick at the point ' _I should have brought a scarf at least..._ '. Sitting down close to the stream and hugging her knees close, she stared at the water in front of her, right at her reflection. _‘In the end, it’s still me... is it?'_ eyelids slowly falling, just for her imagination to take place for a few seconds before the feeling of something on her shoulder brought her back to reality **“Eh!?”**.She had lifted up her elbow as to hit whoever or whatever was behind her, **“...I... maybe i shouldn't have come alone...”** nothing but thin air.

 

**“But you are not alone, Michelle is always with you, after all...”**

 

Eyes back to the river, and her mind set on ignoring any voice that wasn’t spoken by herself, Misaki couldn’t help but to froze, almost literally.

 

**“...Michelle is you”**

 

Where her reflection should be, there was it, part of her was her own body, but that big round head and those starry eyes. Misaki’s immediate reaction was to try and feel her own face with her hands, letting out a sigh when her doubts were gone. A small spark of frustration built up inside her, picking up the closest rock she could find and throwing it right at her own reflection, with no other option but to stand up and keep walking.

‘ _ What’s wrong with me… How can I let a nightmare like that get me _ …’  Few options where there, one was going to Circle, but she doubted Marina would let her use the studio without an specific reason also she didn't want to be a bother. If she went to school, she might get in trouble for skipping. Thinking about it, she didn’t even bother to check for anything beside the time on her phone, she would save that for later.

Now going to the mall didn’t sound as a bad idea, she would have more things to distract herself than walking around aimlessly.

 

Meanwhile - Hanasakigawa High

 

**“Kanon!”** The high pitched voice of HaroHapi’s singer took the girl off-guard, almost making her drop her phone. **“Kokoro-chan, don’t scare me like that…”** **“Misaki didn’t come to class, did you know? What do you think? Maybe she’s sick? We could go to her house and sign for her!”** Too much questions and ideas for one single sentence, **“I-i don’t think that’s… what, she didn’t come to class?”** Kanon didn’t waste a second before messaging Misaki, despite the latter’s claims of being left alone **“Please answer…” _'_** _This is not like Misaki...'_

Now Kanon was about to feel bad about what she just unleashed by saying that out loud  **“Oh, i know! I’ll tell Hagumi and Kaoru to message her too!”** .

There wasn’t much she could do for now, but to hope for Misaki to be okay. _‘Maybe…’_ It would mean going against keeping her word, but something deep inside her she knew something was up with Misaki and her unusual behavior.

 

Shopping Mall - Afternoon

 

It should have been around two when she got there, making sure to take her time, and probably avoid any contact from schoolmates and people related to her, which shouldn't happen for about an hour or so. ‘It’s been so long since I got something for myself… i’ll make sure to bring more money next time’ obviously she would stop by the clothes store _‘A new hat maybe…’_ Nothing caught her eye at the moment, until one of the salesperson approached her **“If you are interested, miss, we have a new collection that is trending among people of your age”**. What the woman held in her hands made her feel something sink deep inside her. There were again those lifeless starry eyes and dumb smile, just as if life wanted to tease her.

**“I-i’m sorry, i need to go”** As polite as she could be, Misaki didn’t waste a second before walking out of the store. She then found herself sitting down on one of the bench in an attempt to take a breath, though, any oncoming thought was interrupted by the sound of her stomach grumbling  ‘ _ I shouldn’t have skipped lunch… _ ’ The fastfood place was close, but there would be chances of seeing Kanon there  _ ‘It’s not her fault though…’ _ But without much choices to pick from, her best bet was to go to the mall’s cafeteria, which for unknown reasons was a place no one she knew recurred to.

Enough for a place of curry and some coffee, at least until dinner.  ‘ _ I need to keep myself together _ …’ Must have been whatever was going on inside her head, but the meal didn’t felt as fulfilling as she expected to  ‘... _ Maybe if I talk to someone _ …’ Her parents weren’t an option, they knew Misaki was Michelle, and they knew Michelle was part of Hello Happy World with the multimillionaire Tsurumaki Kokoro on the lead.  _ ‘Kanon is out of the question too… I trust her, but I don’t want to be a burden to her…’  _ **“Maybe I should just quit already…”** .

 

By the time it was now, most high-schoolers would be swarming the place as classes have ended. Uniforms from Hanasakigawa and Haneoka started to appear, meaning it was time for Misaki to do the opposite. Maybe it was time for the to go back home.

 

Okusawa Residence

 

The trip was silent, luckily no one noticed her as she went by the usual places, maybe a few looks, but none that mattered. Back at home she was welcomed by her younger siblings, who said their parents were out for whatever reason it would be, Misaki only wanted to go to her room.  **“Ah, sis, some people with suits came a little earlier, they were looking for you”** Misaki stopped on her tracks, turning to see her younger sister for a moment  **“Oh, and a friend of yours is here too, she’s in your room”** her brother added **"Didn't I told you to not open the door for strangers?"** Misaki scolded them innocently. If correlation worked right, it was that suits that brought someone here, she could breathe in peace now **“I’ll be in my room, knock if you need something”**. Monotonous as she could be, Misaki didn’t wait for an answer before entering the room.

**“Misaki-chan”** There was her, a bit happier than usual, enough to contrast with the other's mood. Kanon stood from the bed, with quick steps towards her friend **“I’m sorry for coming without warning, I messaged you, but you didn’t answer…”** Still in silence, the girl with the hat took her phone, looking at the 'new message’ notifications that had been piling up for the past hours. **“I-I’m sorry, I think Kokoro overheard what I said and started messaging you too… Misaki-chan?”** No answer, Kanon lifted a hand in an attempt to hold her friend's before stopping midway as she uttered something.

 

**“Kanon-san… If I tell you something, do you promise to not let anyone else know?”**

 

Agreeing to the past statement, Kanon wished she was mentally prepared to say something about Misaki’s ‘problem’. **“Misaki-chan…”** Both sitting on the floor, Kanon didn’t think twice before moving closer to her friend, mustering courage to wrap her arms around her friend **“Why didn’t you tell me at least?”** **“I just needed some time alone… I’m sorry…”** Misaki’s eyes, unconsciously, drifted towards the costume that was still lying dead in the corner of the room, still covered with a blanket. **“Kanon-san… I… I don’t think i’m okay…”** For what she knew, what was been happening to her could be deemed as audiovisual hallucinations, or maybe just pilled up stress hitting her hard, **“Kanon-san… I’m scared”** Kanon’s embrace around her friend tightened. Even if someone was there with her, Misaki still felt she was alone.

**“Misaki-chan...** ** _(Michelle)_** **”** , the girl’s eyes darted back to the drummer, not hesitating to ask **“What did you say?”** **“Um… Misaki-chan…?”** _‘I’m starting to hear things again…’_. Kanon was starting to feel awkward, unable to think what to say in this situation regarding Misaki’s problem. There weren't many options, but for all she knew **“Mi-misaki-chan… Why don’t we go somewhere during winter break? Just the two of us?”** In certain cases, she would have felt slightly embarrassed about the idea, but anything that could help her forget Michelle and the nightmare would come in handy **“I..I can talk with Kokoro so they don’t bother us… would you like that?”** It was a last minute idea, but also something they both could go along with.

With tight grip on Kanon’s school uniform, Misaki slightly nodded in agreement, **“Kanon-san…”** Now to drift away from the topic **“Misaki-chan… please go to school tomorrow, okay? I… I will be there if you still need help”** **.** _Bzzt bzzt_ The mood fading because of a phone, Kanon excused herself just to give a quick look **“Um, Misaki-chan… I’m sorry but they need me at home, I… wish I could stay a little longer”** With an apologetic look, the older one stood up from the floor, followed by the younger, **“Let me accompany you”** But Kanon refused **“You need to get some rest… you didn’t get to sleep much, did you?”** It wasn’t much for the company, but for the fact that the girl’s sense of direction was terrible, **“I...can tell the suits to come for you?”** When she woke up today she wasn’t expecting to come up with that sentence, **“Eh? You can do that?”** Little did the drummer know the DJ kept contact with the suits a bit too often when it came to planning HaroHapi’s venues.

 

**“Well’s make sure that Matsubara-san gets safe to her residence, contact us if any other request comes up”** . Those were the words of the head of the suits before driving the not-so-subtle black car away. Inside her home once again, Misaki observed her little brother watching TV, her sister was probably in their room, and as much as spending time with her would lift up her mood, she would follow Kanon’s advice to take a nap before dinner  ‘ _ I’ll… make her a new doll…’ _ .  Not even bothering to change, she collapsed on her bed , which was enough to make her feel slightly relaxed, ready to drift off at any moment.

 

Okusawa Residence - Nighttime

 

Hours flew by, or so the phone’s screen said. Misaki’s eyes adjusting to the darkness of her room as she attempted to get up from the bed _‘There goes my sleep schedule…’_. Pajama on, a quick trip to the dining room, and an encounter with a note that said  _ Good job today, love mom and dad.  _ No surprise, it had become an habit for this to happen since she became part of the band, which sometimes meant coming home late.

Reheated food didn’t always taste bad, but for reasons mentioned before, Misaki could barely feel anything, as her mind was still set in today’s events. A meal later, washing her face to clear up her thoughts seemed like a good idea at the moment. **“Why am I letting this affect me this much…”** Looking her own hands, she moved her fingers one by one, **“Two weeks until winter break… I can do it…”**

 

**“Oi~ You are not bringing me along?”**

  
Lifting up her gaze, a small yelp escaped her the moment she saw the mirror. Those starry eyes taunting at her, the ever-smiling like a dumb, **“No… no…”** Almost falling back, looking again after inhaling and exhaling, there was herself in the reflection, once again. ‘ _I need to sleep…_ ’ Hiding under the covers seemed like a great idea, everything she asked for right now was to not have another nightmare. Though, she would swear she could have had a better sleep, weren’t for the feeling of being observed that night, and it became slightly more frightening knowing who was the one looking at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I just hope this didn't come out as too OOC...  
> I apologize for any mistakes, excuse this rusty writer  
> I will keep practicing and maybe edit this in the future, along the first chapter, please bear with me (no pun intended)


	3. Chapter 3

_Uneventful_ , yet restless, that was Misaki’s night, without a gram of sleep in her, just as she had pulled an all-nighter. **“Oh, dear, are you okay?”** That was her mother, which had an slightly simile resemblance to her daughter, **“You are not looking good, are you sure you want to go to school?”** Misaki nodded, already clad in her school uniform, she just couldn’t keep skipping like that, she was glad her parents didn't know about yesterday’s events.

 

Hanasakigawa High’s Entrance - Morning

 

    One breakfast later, she swear she could hear her parents and sister doing the HaroHapi chant, now she regrets ever telling them about her place in the band, but that would have to wait. Trying her best to keep a straight face during the trip to school, ‘ _I can do this…can I?_ ’. Day by day it was getting colder, winter right around the corner, Misaki could actually see her breath as she sighed. **“Misaki!” “Mii-kun!”** And there goes the ambiance.

    A flash of yellow and orange ran right toward Misaki’s general direction, stopping right in their tracks once their objective has been reached. The girl could feel her soul leave her body for a moment when she was constricted why two pairs of arms clinging at her, **“Misaki! Where have you been? Were you feeling bad? Does your stomach hurt?”** **“Mii-kun, you didn’t answer our messages, i wrote tons of cute emojis to make you feel better!”** **“Is your phone broken? Do you need a new one?”** And before a certain rich girl could give a well-known sign, **“Misaki-chan!”** Saved by the bell, and the energy bundle's short attention span  **“It’s Kano-chan-senpai!”** **“Kanon!”** It seemed as if those two got excited about everything.

    Now four of them here, the little gremlins now targeted the drummer, **“I’m sorry Misaki-chan, I got a bit lost…”** Typical, **“Don’t worry--”** Saved by the bell, literally, it was almost time for class **“Hurry Kokoron, we can’t be late!”** Despite being in two different classes, but that’s a matter for another moment, **“Let’s go, Misaki-chan”** **“Yeah, let’s”** Kanon was still being optimistic, total opposite at her friend’s current status. Sadly, a level difference didn’t allow much time to interact during class time.

 

Hanasakigawa High’s Roof - Noon

 

If the day wasn’t grey already, the final days of autumn didn’t help much. Escaping from Popipa’s and Kokoro’s antics, and Hikawa’s disciplinary ruler, the young Okusawa was finally allowed to have her own alone moment, ‘ _I don’t even know why i’m doing this, I will end up sick for real_ …’ **“Misaki-chan? Misaki-chan, what are you doing here?”**. She didn’t hear the door open, nor Kanon’s steps walking towards her. **“Ah, Kanon-san… sorry, and sorry for not greeting you earlier”**.

    The clueless girl shook her head, telling her friend not to worry about that **“Look, I… I brought lunch”** Misaki didn’t protest, she could use some food right now, **“Would you… like to…”** **“Sure, I don’t mind”** For a moment, the usual mood, and her smile, were restored.

For a brief moment, Misaki could rest, literally, her head was now against Kanon’s shoulder. Eyes closed, calm breathing, a shy pinky finger over her hand, her only fear right now would be falling asleep and missing classes, what would mean Hikawa-san going on a rampage to hunt down Misaki.

The minutes went by, but lunch break being as short as it usually was, the moment of respite didn’t last long. **“Misaki-chan, hey, Misaki-chan”** Kanon softly spoke while shaking her friend’s shoulder slightly, **“We should go back… or we will get in trouble”** , Misaki could pretend to be asleep, but in any case, she didn’t want to face the fury of Hikawa Sayo. **“Fine, fine…”** ‘ _I was comfy_ …’ , **“Please, go ahead, I will clean this up”**. Getting up and stretching, with her new ‘motivation’, the girl stretched in place before giving a final look at her friend and exiting the roof.

The way back to the classroom was peaceful, Kokoro and Hagumi must already be in their classrooms, which Misaki shared with the former. **“Misaki!”** The blonde jolted up from her seat, it seemed like the teacher wasn’t there yet. The bundle of energy didn’t move from her place, which was right beside Okusawa’s seat **“Oh… hi, Kokoro…”** With a slight smile she greeted, once again, her classmate, **“Are you feeling better now? You smiled! That means you are feeling very good!”** Tsurumaki’s ever-active behavior never changed, though, she was forced to calm down once the teacher entered the room.

 

Hanasakigawa High’s Entrance - Afternoon

 

No more classes for today, the HaroHapi bunch made their exit from the building with haste, though, it was more of a whim from Kokoro **“Since Misaki is happy again, let’s go somewhere extra happy!”** **“but Kokoron, Kaoru-kun isn’t here yet”** And just as if the devil was summoned **“Ahahaha~ Awaiting my return, weren’t you, little kittens?”** And with her fleeting presence, came a swarm of schoolgirls behind her.

    Meanwhile, just a few meters away. **“Ah, I can’t say I didn’t miss this…”** Rolling her eyes away from the scene in front of her, they landed and gazed upon the blue-haired girl at her side, **“Haha… So, Misaki-chan, about yesterday…”** There was a small hope Misaki remembered the previous day’s conversation, “Ah, yes, let’s go”. It was last minute, but a small outing wouldn’t hurt. Using Kaoru’s mere existence as a distraction, the drummer and the DJ managed to escape safely from the area. **“Eh? Misaki? Kanon? Where did you go?~”**

   

Family Restaurant - Afternoon

 

 **“How… How did we end up here?”** All she could remember was **“I’m sorry… I told you to follow me”** _Fuee~..._ , “You don’t need to apologize so often, you didn’t do anything bad, you know” But since they were already inside the place, might as well make use of the situation, just mere coincidence, **“You know… I like the food from here…”** It wasn’t a hint at all.

 

It brought joy to Kanon seeing how Misaki’s mood had improved from one day to another, she had faith that Misaki was stronger than a nightmare, and all she needed was a break every now and then ‘ _Misaki does so much… I'm still curious what goes on in her head in a moment like this_ ’. **“I thought about it, and we never planned where to go…”** , Misaki brought up that one detail from yesterday’s conversation, **“Ah, I’m sorry, I think I thought about it without thinking much about it actually…?”** Then again, Kanon just wanted to make sure her friend was okay, and maybe pay back the many times she was saved by her.

    **“Well, it’s winter break, we could go to the mountain?”** Preferable not one owned by the Tsurumaki’s, **“I was thinking, why not to the hot springs?”** Nowhere too far, nor too close, and where they could enjoy themselves even if it were a few days. **“I’d love that, Misaki-chan!”** That was one part of the plan, the other part fell on Kanon’s hands. **“Just a few more days from now on...”** Both winter break and Christmas were right around the corner.

Night was setting in quickly, time flying by with conversations, or just enjoying being just the two of them, having been long since the last time they didn’t had to deal with the rest of the band.

 

 **“Make sure to get some rest… If… if you are feeling down again, you can call me”** Were Kanon’s last words before parting ways with Misaki after a quick but calm trip back home. The walk back to her own house was silent.

 

Okusawa Residence - Nighttime

 

The girl was greeted by her parents and sibling, which were just about to enjoy their dinner. **“Oh, Misaki, just in time”** The mother made a sign for her daughter to sit down, to which she politely refused **“So-sorry, I already ate with a friend before I came…”** **“It’s understandable, dear, I’m sure it was a study session right? Your finals are next week”** It wasn’t as if Misaki didn’t knew, but it merely escaped her for a moment **“Y-yeah, I better go study”**. Fast walking, she could feel the optimins coming from her family even a second after locking herself up in her room again.

    _‘These are today’s notes… when did I wrote this?’_ **“Maybe I wasn’t paying that much attention…”** Sighing at her notebook, there wasn’t much else to do but to sit down and do her best not to fall asleep on her desk. Which wasn’t the case, as for the first hour, Misaki ended up laying down on her bed _‘I can’t concentrate even if I wanted to…’_. A quick look at her phone wouldn’t hurt, and maybe leave on read a few messages. Kokoro’s drawings she would have to make decypher for songs, Kaoru’s usual ‘philosophic’ quotes, Hagumi asking about nonsense, Kanon arriving at her home safely. _‘I could rest my eyes for a moment…’_ _._ One blink, two blinks, eyelids slowly closing.

 

**“Oi~ oi~ wakey wakey~”**

 

It felt just as if mere seconds had passed, but the moment her eyes opened back again, Misaki saw nothing but darkness, that until she removed her notebook from her face. _‘Did I… oh god’_ She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands before gettings up, luckily this time she remembered to change from her uniform. **“Almost eleven… was I that tired?”** , so far walking around the house has been uneventful.

    _‘I can study later… I don’t think I can keep myself awake right now’_ Proven by a yawn escaping her as she closed the room’s door behind her, turning around to look for the light switch, eyes going wide with the realization that something was wrong, that something was amiss.

    _‘Where… where is it…’_ The blanket the bear was covered with was on the floor, but the bear itself was nowhere to be found, _‘Was it… was it gone when I came after school?’_ There was a knot on her throat, gulping air as she tried to calm herself down. _‘No… no, It’s gone, so I should just go back to sleep…’_. Lights off, and straight to bed, she would care about that maybe after the exam season is done.

 

Hanasakigawa High - Morning

 

 **“I don’t want to study… It’s boring~”** Hagumi complained as she leaned on Kokoro, which did nothing but to pat her friend’s head **“But if you don’t study you don’t become smart! You need to be smart, Hagumi!”** Usual antics. After parting to their respective classrooms, Kokoro wasn’t much aware of Misaki’s state, aside from the outside appearance, which was that of sleeping on her desk **“Hey, Misaki! Wake up, the teacher will get mad again!”** **“Don’t be annoying…”** The sleepy girl mumbled as the high pitched voice from her classmate got to her, **“I’m awake, i’m awake… you don’t have to be so loud”**.

Most of the class was spent by Kokoro sketching on her notebook between lectures, while Misaki tried to remain conscious and interested in whatever the teacher was saying. **“Misaki, look!”** pretending not to hear her was an option, but having made eye contact already there was no escape.

In the sheet of paper there was parts of the lecture, and various colors and lines for what she could make out was HaroHapi. Kokoro, Hagumi, Kaoru, Kanon… Yes, just the usual members.  **“Kokoro, please, pay attention to class…”** Misaki whispered, shaking her head and looking at the nonsense on the blackboard.

 

Break for lunch once again, Misaki couldn’t wait to exit the classroom and make haste to the roof, just to be confronted by Hikawa Sayo right in front of the stairs.  **“Okusawa-san, good afternoon”** **“A-ah… Hikawa-san, same”** . Both stood there, one unable to make up anything to say, the other with arms crossed and a rather long ruler in hand,  **“You may be wondering why am I preventing anyone from passing, right?”** Misaki only watched at her upperclassmen, shaking her head slightly, **“If that so, then please keep on walking, make use of this break as you please, but refrain from meddling in the future”.**

Ignoring what had happened a few seconds ago, Misaki wandered around the school’s hallways, looking for a certain person. **“Chisato-san, you really didn’t have to” “Oh, please, I insist”**. That was one thing she forgot, and was that PasuPare’s Chisato was both Kanon’s childhood friend and classmate. _‘Now that I think about it…’_ **“Misaki?”** It wasn’t that she was actually looking at the two from around the corner, and it also wasn’t that she almost jumped back when her name was called, **“A-ah… Rimi, didn’t see you there”** A brief encounter, cut short by a rather loud voice **“Rimirin!”** , which in turn was followed by a furious one **“Toyama-san, how many times i’ve told you, no running in the corridors”.**

The scene went by in a flash, one frame of Kasumi taking Rimi’s arm, another of Sayo grabbing Kasumi’s uniform, and one last frame of Sayo dragging the two Popipa’s away. _‘If I could only keep that attitude with the band…’_ , **“Misaki-chan?”** Caught. **“I see that you finally found her, I will see you in class, Kanon”** And there goes Chisato. **“Kanon-san”** , both stood there, unknown and unsure of what to say. Until Kanon started **“I’m sorry, I got carried away talking to Chisato, I forgot to-”** **“It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about that”** Misaki wore a small smile **“But I said I would see you on the break…”** It was a small feel of guilt, **“I said don’t worry, there’s after class for that”** There was no way to get mad at Kanon, especially for Misaki. Sadly, as short as it was, the conversation couldn’t go on due to a certain Hikawa calling them out to return to classes.

 

Hanasakigawa High’s Entrance - After Classes

 

 **“Are you really okay with this? I mean, wouldn’t it hold you back to study with someone from a year below?”** She didn’t want to be a bother after all, **“I can study with Kokoro and Hagumi”**  Misaki wasn’t actually expecting to spew those words, at least not in this life, **“But I don’t want to study”** the latter spoke, followed by the former **“Studying can be fun if we do it together! Let's get Kaoru and go to my house!”**  Ever-smiling, Kokoro’s suggestion wasn’t as bad as it seemed, _‘Well, Kokoro is actually smarter than she seems, and Kaoru and Kanon aren’t far behind, but Hagumi…’_. **“Kanon, Misaki! Are you two coming?”** It was time to make a decision, with the two girls looking at each other for a moment, **“What do you say, Misaki-chan?”** Kanon had no problem with that, but unsure of her friend current state, she left it up to her to decide.

 

Tsurumaki Residence - Drawing Room

 

The place where usually lyrical works were created was now used as the meeting room for the HaroHapi study group. **“Kano-chan-senpai, Kaoru-senpai… Hagumi doesn’t understands anything”** **“Maybe you shouldn’t be looking at advanced material, Hagumi…”** , Misaki made sure to take away the 2nd year notebook away from her bandmate, **“Kokoro, why don’t you share your note with Hagumi?”** _‘I would do it myself but…’_ **“Hehe…”** Merely opening her own notes, some of them were nothing but drabbles, or just missing from the times she had fallen asleep in class _‘I forgot to ask Kokoro about the other day’s lecture…’_. 

**“Teachings don't differ even with a different teacher, it's how you use those teachings that actually matters”** one would question why Kaoru hadn't said anything for the past minute, but she was rather a bit busy separating her notes from the love letters in her bag.  **“Excuse me for a moment”** seeing as it might take a while for everyone to be ready, might as well walk around. 

The hallways of the Tsurumaki mansion were almost endless and easy to get lost into if it weren't for certain signs on some doors, **“Now, where was the bathroom…”** **"Okusawa-san”** Misaki's attention was caught by the sudden appearance of the people in black suits **“Ah, its you guys”** **"We are sorry to importunate you, but we have a request in order to comply with Kokoro-sama’s wishes”** _‘I knew it’_ **"Whether you agree or not it's totally  up to you, we by no means will force you against your own will”**

It was time to make a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another milestone for those following this  
> I met few difficulties editing this one to remove inside jokes and certain non-sense  
> But I'll make sure to keep practicing to deliver a better chapter next time


	4. Chapter 4

Misaki looked at the head of the bear now in her hands, _The Suits_ had prepared a replica of the costume for whatever reasons they might have, at this point she had expected them to have a big room full of these. In agreement, she silently nodded.  
In mere minutes, and with a bit of help she was now clad with only the head left to put on. **“Just for today…”** deep breaths, a bit of willpower, and the image of winter break coming soon were enough to muster the courage to get inside the costume. Once the head and the body made contact, it was back to the usual, giving a quick look at her own _hands_ , **“You may resume your activities as Okusawa Misaki in about an hour or so, for now, please entertain Kokoro-sama”**.

 

Like a second nature, Misaki waddled her way back to the drawing room, trying to keep herself together while inside Michelle, _‘At least here is warmer in here…’._ **“Hai hai, It’s Michelle~”** In matter of seconds, **“Michelle!”** Both Kokoro and Hagumi practically threw themselves at the pink bear **“We missed you lots!”** **“Hagumi was worried, Mii-kun wouldn’t say where you were”** , from their seats, both Kaoru and Kanon observed **“Our missing member finally made her appearance, ah, the smile of my little kittens when Michelle is here…~”** Contrary to Kaoru’s words, there was Kanon’s concern **“Misaki-chan…”** One could notice the look in her eyes, but the only to do so was the girl inside the suit ‘ _I’m sorry, Kanon-san…_ ’. Waddling her way to the girl still sitting at the table, with a little effort Misaki lifted Michelle’s paw so to try and pat Kanon’s head. **“Smiley smiley~”** There was the monotone voice again, followed by a pair of hands grabbing the _paw_ , **“Don’t worry Kanon-san, it’s just for a moment”** With the other _paw_ , Misaki could lift up part of the head for that whisper to be heard **“If you say so, Misaki-chan…”.**

 

Back to the studying session, Misaki did her best to try and read from inside the costume, receiving eventual help from Kanon, **“Michelle, I didn’t knew that bears could read!”** Hagumi was, obviously, amazed **“Do you go to school too Michelle?”** , **“A-ah… I read for my little sister sometimes, you know, bedtime stories and that stuff”** Following that fact she didn’t make up last minute, there was a moment of _‘Waaaw’_ between Hagumi and Kokoro, now both talking how they would be treated the same way.

    **“Are you okay in there, Misaki-chan?”** Taking a moment of respite when the airheads turned around, the girl inside the bear gave her drink a quick sip **“Haha… yeah, just a little longer…”**  Kanon wanted to place a hand on the bears head, refraining from doing so due to shyness.

 **“Nee, nee, Michelle, do bears also have a winter break? We are studying for school, if we do well, we get to enjoy Christmas!”** Hagumi explained the situation, which got to Kokoro, explaining why she started to shine more than usual **"Michelle, you should go with us to our winter trip!”** As expected, once again the girl in a bear suit felt something close to despair, and a quick flash of the many things that could happened went through her mind. **“A… actually Kokoro--”** Kanon started **"Kokoro-sama,”** just to be saved by the black suits **"Dinner is ready, so if you may, please head to the dinning hall”**.

 

Tsurumaki Residence - Dining Hall 

 

The extended table was way more than enough for the five of them, with the three idiots on one end, and Kanon and Misaki on the other. Michelle only stared at the plate in front of her, it was Misaki’s favorite after all **“Damn this bear… “** she mumbled, **"Did you say something, Misaki-cha--?”** **“Nee, Michelle, is the food good? We can bring you honey if you want”** Kokoro said from the other side of the table. Michelle shook her head and hands as a sign of denial, **“A-also, about the winter… I couldn't say it but, I’m a bear you know, so…”**  She had started her excuse **“Yes, Michelle is a magical bear!”**  Momentarily cut off by Hagumi, and then resumed  **“Like all bears, I have to hibernate until spring and I wanted to spend time with my family so…”** There was a hint of disappointment in Hagumi’s face, while Kokoro’s smile was still there, maybe, just maybe, machinating something in her favor, **“S-so, I apologize for not being able to spend winter break with you all”**.

    And just when Misaki thought she would be safe, **“Bears are indeed a mystery, they eat, and sleep, and once the time comes, they eat** **again,"** Misake dropped a sweat-drop at the statement made by the actress **"though, if I remember correctly, they only hibernate due to lack of food for their diet, which I don’t think is a problem for us to supply her with whatever she** **needs”** ,And Misaki was wondering why Kaoru was being so silent  _‘You can’t memorize where you take your quotes from but you can memorize that…’_. Kokoro started to shine more than usual, the last gear to make her idea work was right there **“Kaoru is right! Bears sleep because they don’t have food until spring, but if we feed Michelle during winter she won’t have to hibernate!”** Michelle and Kanon looked at each other, seconds away from panicking, **“Bu-but Michelle said she needs to see her family, She… she is always with us, so… so she must really miss them!”.**

There was one last thing Misaki could resort to, which was just dissing the whole Michelle deal and dumping the suit away, but recalling some words that were just said, an idea lit up while the idiot trio kept bickering about ways to keep the pink bear among them, **“Magic!”** Was the first thing she said, getting the attention of the ones present at the time, **“Yes, that’s it… my magic, it’s… it’s low, really really low, so I need to sleep to recharge it”** , while making motions with her hands, she now thanks watching those little kids shows with her siblings. There was silence, doubt, and a lot of thinking **“Well, I guess that can’t be helped”** The blonde spoke, seemingly unaffected by the bear’s statement **“I don’t know how magic works, but make sure to come back to us, okay?”** It felt like an achievement to win an argument against Kokoro. Misaki let out a heavy sigh as she relaxed inside the suit, looking to her side, just to find Kanon smiling her her **“Good job, Misaki-chan”** she whispered, placing a hand on the bear’s head. And so, the dinner went on with further nonsensical conversation. Though, Misaki wondered why Kokoro accepted it just like that.

 

Tsurumaki Residence - Entrance 

 

The sun had set pretty fast that day, with everyone scouted to the main gate of the mansion by the black suits, **“We will make sure that they reach their respective destinations without problem, Kokoro-sama”** **“Aw, I wanted to say goodbye to Michelle”** A quick recall of the last moments of Misaki as the bear went by, a swift escape with the help of the suits before coming back to the group as nothing ever happened. **“Goodbye everyone! I will see you all tomorrow!”**

    Looking back at Kokoro, she was waving at the black cars before being guided back inside her mansion. While there was the choice to share a car with Hagumi and Kaoru, Misaki decided to go in a separate vehicle with Kanon, with the excuse of making sure she didn’t get lost. **“You know I live a bit too far from your place, Misaki-chan…”** Kanon was still unsure as to why her friend decided to do so, but she could take a wild guess as to why and get it right, **“Ahaha… I also don’t know why I did it, maybe I was too tired to think properly”** She looked out of the window, it had gotten dark already **“Besides, if you also knew, why did you let me?”** The drummer did not know what to say, her cheeks tinted with a hint of pink **“We-well, actually…”** Her rambling was luckily interrupted by a loud yawn from the DJ, who then lean back on the car’s seat, closing her eyes **“Don’t worry about it, if you don’t mind then it’s okay”** **“Misaki-chan…”**.

    It took a few seconds before silence set in, Kanon’s eye looking forward past the suit person driving and right at the road in front of them. Her gaze suddenly caught something on the mirror, making the pink in her face turn slightly redder. She sat still, not wanting to move, but mostly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping girl now leaning on her shoulder. Her lips curved into a smile, leaning her head on top of Misaki’s and also closing her eyes.

 

Okusawa Residence 

 

 **“Okusawa-san? Okusawa-san, we have arrived at your destination”** A light sleeper, Misaki woke up in mere seconds, slowly coming back to reality. **“And I want to keep a healthy sleep schedule…”**  She sighed while the person in black suit exited the car, just to open the door for her. Misaki inquired  **“Did Kanon-san…”** **“Worry not, Matsubara-san also arrived safely at her residence”** That was all she wanted to hear **“Have a good night”**.

    The car drove away and got lost in the night, all that was left was for Misaki was to enter her house, though, she had expected everyone to be asleep by now, but the sound of the TV told otherwise. **“I...I’m home”** Crossing the door, then locked it behind her, removing her shoes, and slowly walking to the living room.  **“Misaki,”** That was her mother’s voice **“you could have told us you would be home this late, we were thinking you would be staying at your friend’s house”** It was already something common, thought her parents did get worried at first.  **“Well, I also wasn’t expecting to, but I lost sense of time”** The girl tried to excuse herself, letting out a small laugh, **“You must have been studying really hard then, I’m so proud of you”** Why did her mother liked making her feel guilty?.

    **“Did you ate already? There’s today dinner’s leftovers”** With the life of being in a band and unexpected travelling, that also turned into something common **** **“There’s no need to, thanks”** **“You know, you should bring one of your friends home one of these days"** and the mental images started. Hagumi would probably get along the little ones, Kaoru might get some attention from Misaki's parents, Kokoro might be a problem if she's her usual self around the house, the only one being left as a normal person was Kanon. **“Well, there isn't much I can do about it, school, clubs, final exams, they are pretty busy”**   _‘Like you and dad…’._ **“I will go to my room and study some more, goodnight mom”**.

 

And with study, she meant lay on her desk and think. **“Just a few more days…”** changing from her uniform to her pajamas, Misaki laid down on the bed, totally not looking forward to the following days.

 

**“...elt… goo… side… gain…”**

 

Just as she was about to fall asleep, a noise took her attention, giving a quick look to the dark room before dismissing it as something from outside.

 

Hanasakigawa High - Afternoon 

 

Misaki stood by the window on the hallway, she was supposedly waiting for Kanon, but sadly this time she had other plans. **“Okusawa-san?”** Sayo suddenly got her attention, **“Classes ended not so long ago, I would recommend to leave if you don’t have any activities left to do here”** But the girl was deep in thought **“Okusawa-san, are you listening to me?”** The answer was a yawn, **“Ah, Sayo-senpai, sorry, I was kind of distracted”** The stern girl looked at her _kouhai_ for a moment **“Don’t worry, but as I said-”** **“Yeah, I know, I was about to head home”** **“Alright, be sure to make haste, the forecast said it was going to rain anytime in the afternoon”.**

    Misaki took her time walking past the discipline committee member, stopping mid-step when she was addressed again **“Also, Okusawa-san, I don’t mean to pry in personal matters, but since it might affect your academic performance, are you, by chance, not feeling well?”** Not the best approach **“You seem to be paler than usual.. Sorry, those must not be the right words”** Sayo attempted to make a save, a certain someone’s words worked just fine. **“Ah, what do you…”** She was then handed a small mirror, unconsciously starting to inspect herself **“Ah, it's true… I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately…”**  She let out the fact as if it was nothing,  **“Be sure to change that, remember that finals are close, so spend your time wisely, I hope you get a grasp of what I’m trying to say”** Misaki only nodded before handing back the mirror and resuming her walk.

 

Of all days, today was that one day where everyone seemed to have something to do after school. **“It does feels weird to not have anyone around…”** Right now even Kokoro wouldn’t be bad company, but for whatever your reason it was the suits came for her right after the last bell rang. Looking up, she met grey which darkened the sky, the wind starting to blow. _‘It really can’t get colder, can it?’_. She had to make haste for the station.

    **“I really wouldn’t mind being inside the suit right now…”** The mumbled to herself, now safe from the oncoming rain and waiting for the train, **“But that would turn me into a liar since I said I wouldn’t be wearing it until spring…”** **.** She would be expecting more people to arrive, but she found herself completely alone and just talking to herself, until...

    **“Misaki-san?”** With her name called, she turned around to see a certain idol walking her way, **“Chisato-senpai? Fancy meeting you here”** , Chisato had taken the seat beside her acquaintance, not looking in her direction **“Well, I had a day off, and most of those that are related to me seem to be occupied today…”** **“Even Kaoru?”** The Pasupare girl didn’t answer.

    Silence, which the sound of rain filled in a moment. **“Ah… ah…”** Hurried steps could be heard nearby, both girls turning around to see a certain Kanon trying to hide from the rain. **“Kanon-san, are you okay?”** **“Kanon, what happened?”** . Damped from head to toe, the girl let out a rather audible ‘ _Fueeee…_ ’ **“I made a wrong turn and ended up getting caught by the rain…”** Both Chisato and Misaki let out a sympathetic laugh. Both walking up to their friend, one reaching out a towel, the other a handkerchief, they shared an awkward look. Kanon, with a confused expression, took both items and attempted to dry herself **“Thanks”** She said with her pure sincerity.

 

With the train finally arriving, the three girls hurried to get inside, luckily it wasn’t crowded enough. **“So, Kanon-san”** The jellyfish girl had a troubled look on her face when she was addressed  **“Ah, Misaki-chan… I’m sorry, I said I was going to be busy today, I didn’t thought I would finish soon, I should have told you…”**  but Misaki really couldn't be mad at her  **“Don’t worry about that, I do appreciate you worry about me, but you don’t have to do it every day”**. Meanwhile, Chisato wasn’t one to keep silent, **“Talking about busy, Kanon, have you been studying for the finals?”** The idol, smiling, meddled between the two, **“Um, I have, I’ve been studying with Misaki-chan and HaroHapi…”** **“I see, hm, is… Kaoru behaving?”**  Deviating a little from the topic, Chisato’s eyes looked out of the window, it was a matter better left undisclosed, but she trusted the witness, Misaki, wouldn’t say anything about it.

    **“Mhm~ everyone is doing their best!”** One could envy how optimistic Kanon could be, **“Well, it would be a shame if she were to fail due to her… usual behavior…”** **“Kaoru can be smart sometimes, just sometimes”** Misaki didn’t realize she would be saying those words in hat particular order **“And she’s doing her best to not write** ** _fleeting_** **in all her notes”**

    Switching topics, Kanon now had to focus on speaking to one of her two friends, which for some reason wouldn’t look at each other directly, and in some cases, wouldn’t even take a word from the other. Though, it wasn’t long until Misaki had to step out of the train, **“Be safe, Misaki-chan”** Kanon waved at her, while Chisato didn’t even bothered to look.

    **“I noticed, Kanon”** The blonde spoke, **“You and Okusawa had been hanging out more than usual as of late… I'm not one to judge who you spend time with, but, is there anything you didn’t told me?”** Kanon was at a loss of words, while she couldn’t deny the claim, saying the truth would pose a problem for her. **“Ah, well,”** It was awkward for her, **“Um… Since… since we don’t get to spend a lot of time outside the band, I… I thought helping her with her studies…”** **“Say no more, I know what you are trying to say”** That was a close call **“Anyways, I wanted to tell you, the other day…”**.

 

Okusawa Residence 

After hearing the words of concern from her little siblings the moment her drenched self arrived home, Misaki didn’t waste much time before taking a bath and changing to dry clothes. A silent dinner time with family, where she mostly evaded the usual day to day questions, and straight to bed. **“I don’t even feel like staying awake…”** It had gotten far too cold for her, even with a heater _Well, it’s almost the first day of winter…’_. There was but one thing she had considered. **“Lend me this for today”** She had quickly gotten up from the bed, just to retrieve her missing blanket that was, until this day, covering a certain costume.

    **“W-when did… You…you weren’t here before… were you?”** Misaki stood there, frozen for a moment, before looking at the head of the bear, and a small note almost falling from on top of it. **“We had retrieved the suit for maintenance without previous notice, sorry for the inconvenience”** A tired sight escaped her lips. Two blankets later, she could finally get some decent sleep for once. Or so it seemed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the animation going on, I might have to re-make some parts of this fic in the future...  
> Thanks for making it this far, hope you enjoyed it~ I'm still trying to get a grasp of other characters that aren't the main focus on the story  
> So, sorry if anything feels OOC


	5. Chapter 5

Misaki was forced to remain on bed the next day, her predictions of getting a cold actually coming true. Even though she had protested about it, she had to skip school once again. She heard her mother would stay and take care of her little siblings, and all she had to do was to sleep and try to get better.

    There wasn't much  she could do from her position but to look out of the window, wishing she could open it and feel the cold wind, though it might only worsen the situation. Then she looked at her room, untouched, just like it has been these past days, and then Michelle, who just sat there, lifeless. If her eyes weren’t tired enough, she could have looked at her phone, and the messages piling up once again. Luckily enough, she had the luck of the next  _ bzzt bzzt  _ getting followed by a custom ringtone she had set especially for one person.

**“Hi…”**  The sick girl managed to speak with a slightly coarse voice  **“Mi...Misaki-chan?”** **“Kanon-san?”**  Luckily she was awake enough to recognize her friend's voice, **“Thank goodness… I’ve been messaging you, but you didn’t answer, again…”** She was now feeling guilty for getting sick, though she could have easily avoided it, but it was too late. **“I was worried… Is everything okay?”** **“Yeah, just a small fever, I’m stuck in bed for the weekend…”** , on her side, Kanon started to worry, **“Misaki-chan… is anyone taking care of you? I mean…”** **“My mom is here, don’t worry about it” Misaki had shifted her position to under the** **“Ah, yes, but…”** The words got stuck in her throat, **“Kanon-san, I’m sorry, but I’m going to try and get some more sleep, I really can’t keep my eyes open right now...”**. Grasping the hem of her skirt with one hand, Kanon said **“Sure, take care, Misaki-chan, just call me if you need anything”**. The call ended, but Kanon’s worries still were there, and as much as she trust Misaki’s words, she felt the need to be there for her.

 

**“I know she’s a valuable friend for you, but don’t get too carried with it”**

 

For a moment, she recalled the talk with Chisato from the day before, and while she would feel bad for going against her, it feel like her duty to do so anyways. **“Kokoro”** The Tsurumaki girl, who just happened to pass nearby, turned around instantly  **“Can you… help me with something?”** It was a desperate measure, but she would apologize for it later.

 

 **“I… don’t think we have met before, I’m Matsubara Kanon, I’m Misaki’s friend…”** **“Tsurumaki Kokoro~ I’m in the same class and band with Misaki!”** The older woman gave the girls a confused look, but it was nothing but tiredness getting to her, **“Ah, Kokoro-chan, Kanon-chan, come in, I’ve always wanted to meet you two personally”**. The blonde didn’t waste time in making herself at home, while the blue-haired took her time to excuse herself for _intruding_.

 **“You came to see Misaki, right? She’s sleeping right now, but I’m grateful that she has friends that worry about her”** The woman smiled slightly, thinking that her words might have not been the right ones, **“It’s no problem for us, um, is it okay if i check on Misaki-chan?”** With a slightly nod of approval, Misaki’s mother guided Kanon to the girl’s room, while Kokoro was busy enough with the little kids of the house.

The door opened slowly, the only illumination of the room being the sun filtering through the window, **“Sorry for intruding…”** Kanon whispered, walking inside. She inspected the place, daring to turn on the lights just to see a bundled Misaki move on the bed not too far from her position, **“...Are you awake?”**. Walking closer, curiosity got her the moment she looked at Michelle, who was just sitting there in a corner **“Hello there”** , innocently, she waved at the lifeless suit.

 **“Misaki-chan?”**  Kanon called out,  **“Five more minutes… Kanon-san…”**. The girl couldn’t help but to let out a little laugh at her friend’s comment while sitting on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on her forehead after removing the cooling patch, **“You are burning…”** Both now were blushing, one due to fever, the other due to the unconscious skin to skin contact **“...I’ll... bring another patch”** **“Kanon-san…”** Even in her hurry, she stopped once her name was called, **“Is… something the matter, Misaki-chan?”** There was an attempt from the sick girl to reach out a hand towards her friend, just to give up midway and attempt to keep sleeping.

 

After an hour or so, Misaki could finally feel some weight being lifted off her, it had felt like a long dream, yet so real. **“Wakey wakey~ Misaki~”** A voice said, but for her it was still a blur, sleeping for too much made her more tired than she was before, **“Misaki~ Come on, Michelle, help me wake Misaki up!”** Two voices, one one high-pitched, the next one was soft **“Kokoro, I don’t think that’s…”**. As slowly as she opened her eyes, the moment the fog was cleared from hey eyes Misaki was welcomed by a sight of pink and white, and a pair of pink starry circles looking right at her.

Blink, blink blink, for a moment everything felt cold. Even if she wanted to, her voice got stuck in her throat, jolting up from the bed her back was now against the wall, quickly taking the blankets to cover herself completely. **“Misaki-chan!”** Kanon made haste to move Kokoro and the empty suit away from the scared girl, **“Misaki, are you playing hide and seek now?”** Kokoro, in all her innocent ignorance, asked **“I know, I will take Michelle downstairs then!”** With all her effort, the Tsurumaki girl carried the bear suit out of the room, leaving the two girls alone.

Kanon didn’t have second thoughts before wrapping her arms around Misaki, **“It’s okay, Misaki-chan… Michelle isn’t here”** Concern was all she felt, while removing the covers from her friend, **“Misaki-chan, look at me”** while the scare wasn’t as big as the first time, it was just a momentary shock that got her, weak hands placed on Kanon’s shoulders, **“I’m… looking at you”**. This same position, it felt familiar, hands trembling, it was getting difficult to breathe, **“I’m going to get your mom, okay?”** , and for a moment, it came back to her. Misaki’s finger grasping Kanon’s uniform **“No!... I mean… no, I… I will be okay”** It was as if she was in this situation before, but she couldn’t recall it at all.

It took some time, but once she was back on all her senses, Misaki agreed with Kanon to go downstairs. **“Misaki~”** And the first to welcome her with a hug, **“No-not too tight… it hurts…”**. **“Oh, dear, are you feeling better now? You are looking paler”**  The girl nodded at her mother, smiling slightly, **“Your brother and sister are playing with the bear, you don’t mind that, right?”,** The girl shook her head, making her way to the kitchen.

**“Ah, Misaki, the teacher told me to give you this!”** During a slightly early dinner, Kokoro reached for her school bag, taking out a few books and placing them on the table. **“And he said that you shouldn’t forget that exams start on monday”**. Misaki laughed nervously, not that she wasn’t ready for it, but the way the topic was brought up. **“Take your time, Misaki, looks like having your friends over made you recover faster”** That, or the scare she got from having Michelle up close when she woke up.

 **“Kanon-san”** The girl in pajamas turned to see her friend, **“Since we are here…”** Misaki saw the opportunity, since two of the most important persons regarding certain plan were present. Kanon knew what she meant, but the sudden mention of the topic caused her to get flustered. Misaki’s mother wasn’t ignorant, and she could tell something was going on between the two girls **“Is something the matter?”** , Kanon got startled, stammering in the search of a way to start the conversation, luckily enough, Misaki was there with her, **“Actually, mom…”**.

It took a few minutes, between catching her breath and thinking how to word it properly, after all, she couldn’t do anything if she didn’t got her parents permission, all while Kokoro was listening too.  **“I see…”** The woman gave the girls an inexpressive look, after all it wasn’t the first time she had let her daughter go on a trip with her friends, though those didn’t last long as long as the one she was just told about, and were under the eye of Tsurumaki family’s security service.  **“Hot springs? My family ha-”** Before the blonde could go on with her statement, she was silenced, although unexpectedly, by Kanon  **“I… I wanted it to be just the two of us, Kokoro… if… if it isn’t too much to ask...”** **.**

When Kokoro wasn’t smiling, she was deep in thought about something, anything, and it was a slight fear she might take the wrong end of things if they weren’t explained in a proper manner. **“Kokoro, look, it’s not that we don’t want you and the rest of  the band with us, is just…”** **“I get it!”** And back to her usual brightness, **“Mom and dad go on long trips without me too, so it can’t be that different, right?”** There was a small sense of guilt from Misaki and Kanon, who looked at each other for a moment, that was a small detail they kind of have forgotten. Unbeknownst to them, Kokoro managed to innocently guilt-trip them.

After Kokoro’s statement, they had no choice but to come to certain terms with her. **“Misaki-chan… what do you think?”** After all, it was their own idea from the start. Giving it a moment of thought, **“Fine, I mean, it would feel weird to just leave everyone behind”** If Kokoro could shine, she would be blinding bright right now **“But,”** Misaki continued **“if it isn’t much to ask, I would like to have some time alone with Kanon… It was our plan after all”** She added with a mumble at the end. **“Then that’s it, if that’s what will make you happy, I will do my best to not interfere!”**. On her side, Misaki’s mother felt happy for her daughter, but also worried, thinking if this is how she spent most of her days with the Tsurumaki girl.

 

It was hard to keep Kokoro silent after that, but when the time came for her and Kanon to leave, Misaki felt somewhat less pressure than before. After looking at the people in black suits take the girls away, she was, almost instantly, confronted by her mother. **“Are you sure this is what you want?”** Why would she question it right now? **“I’m not against the idea of you going somewhere during the holidays, after all it’s your winter break”** **“I know”** **“But, you know, I’ve also been thinking that we, as a family, could go somewhere for once”** Misaki didn’t even bother to listen, walking past the woman and right to the stairs, her only answer being **“You know it won’t happen”** **.**

**“I’m taking Michelle to my room, you two played with her enough already”** Misaki walked out of her sibling’s room, carrying, with notable effort, the hollow bear back to her own room. Once it was back on it’s corner, the girl had to stop and inhale. She took a moment to take the head from the suit, even questioning herself as to what she was doing  _ ‘I used to get inside it to feel less stressed, but for some reason, I feel all that stress coming back now… maybe I should go back to sleep…’.  _  After placing the head on its rightful place, Misaki headed to bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

 

Waking up in the middle of the night was something she had gotten used to, she would blame it on sleeping all day. _‘I need water…’_ With her best effort to get up from the bed, Misaki walked out of her room, wandering through the darkness of her house once again. Silence, nothing but her and the cold winter night, maybe she could give herself some time tomorrow, despite having to study. _‘I won’t be going anywhere if i get a failing grade…’_ Was one of her thoughts before heading back upstairs.

The moonlight entering through the window proved to be enough for her to not fall on her way back, also saved her the hazle of waking up anyone in the house by turning the lights on. **“Hm?”** _‘_ _I… I closed the door, right? Maybe I was too sleepy to notice…’_ Sighing, one turn to the knob, but it didn’t budge, _‘...don’t tell me this thing broke again…’_. Looking to the sides just to be sure, a soft hit was enough to open it, though it almost flew back as if it was nothing _‘Whatever…’_ She didn’t have time or energy for this. She slowly lifted up her gaze after making sure once more she didn’t catch anyone’s attention.

There was a sense of dread in her, even placing a hand on her forehead just to make sure it was the fever acting up again and that the thing sitting on the bed was her imagination. It was a mere silhouette, but it was there, the big, plump body, and the round, ever-smiling head, looking at her, mocking her. It was in an instant that she brought both hands to her eyes, rubbing them as a vague reaction to what she just saw. And at the same moment she blinked, it was gone. _‘Not now… I’ve been doing fine… just not now…I’ll just call the suits tomorrow...’_. Bravery gathered, Misaki entered the room, closing the door gently behind her, giving one quick look at the immobile Michelle still sitting in her corner, before going back to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is almost reaching what I've planned so far, so after some point it might take a bit more time to update this  
> Thanks for reading and making it this far!


	6. Chapter 6

The sun rose, but the freezing weather persisted. Misaki felt as if several days worth of stress piled up on her the moment she opened her eyes. The clock said six in the morning, sadly it was a sunday. Getting out of the bed hurt less than the day before, and knowing everyone was asleep by now gave her the time alone she needed. A hot cup of coffee, a little bitter, a little sweet, just like every moment she spent with HaroHapi **“I wonder…”** With her phone in her other hand, she hesitantly scrolled through her contacts, most of them from other bands, only a few were present as _online_ , but those were the ones she wouldn’t even think about bothering. _‘Ah, true…’_ Yet, there was a certain something she still had to do.

A message later, all she had to do was to wait. **“Everyone else is sleeping…”** She took the last sip from her cup, _‘It really looks like a nice day outside…’_ Despite the probably freezing cold that would send her to bed once again, _‘Maybe I should just get to studying instead of losing time…’_ She wasn’t a fan of it, but she also didn’t hate it. On that same table were, casually, the notes and books Kokoro had brought from school, which Misaki didn’t even bother take with her. Opening the first one, she found a not so subtle hint that it was Kokoro’s notebook, with scribbles and sketches around the lecture, and written in gold marker ‘Give this to Misaki’ at the start of it **“Ah, this kid…”**.

 

Matsubara Residence - Meanwhile 

 

 **“You seem to be a in a good mood today, Kanon”** Ever since the moment she woke up, the drummer had a smile on her face, **“It’s because of that trip you planned with your friend, isn’t it?”** For a moment she didn’t felt shy about it, nevertheless, her cheeks wore a tint of pink as she nodded in agreement **“I… I hope everything goes well”** It was common knowledge for the Matsubara family about Kanon’s relationships with certain people, as there were times where she, unconsciously, started talking about her day.

She had forgotten the last time she had looked forward for something that caused her to feel something different, she was eager, if not anxious at a minimal level, about the plan. **“You are working so hard, Kanon, make sure to enjoy it”** Word of encouragement from her parents were what she needed, **“I will”** . A look at her phone, and the last conversation she had, for a moment she pondered, just to dismiss the idea _‘She must still be sleeping…’_. But that didn’t stop her from sending a ‘good morning’ message, which, to her surprise, was answered seconds after.

 

**Misaki: Mornin’**

**Ah, Misaki-chan, I thought you were still sleeping: Kanon**

**Misaki: Woke up a bit earlier than usual… I’m studying right now**

**I see… : Kanon**

**Do your best!: Kanon**

**Misaki: Thx, I might not be going anywhere today**

**Misaki: Still a little dizzy**

**Do you need me to come over?: Kanon**

**Misaki: I’ll be fine, don’t worry**

**Misaki: I wouldn’t want you to get sick with the cold out there**

 

Thoughtful, yet she was right. From not so far, Kanon’s parents smiled at their daughter, it was one of those times where she, without noticing, smiled in a more than sincere way. **“By the way, Kanon, didn’t you say the other day you were going out with a friend today?”** That was a problem, and made Kanon almost drop her phone. Scrolling through texts, she caught the one with the date and time, and that was just an hour away. **“I...I forgot”** _‘Fuee…’_ She had to hurry.

Thirty minutes, added fifteen more due to taking bad turns, and despite going against Misaki’s warning, there she was. All she has to do was to pretend she didn’t half-run part of the way to the cafe, and everything would be okay. **“Well, earlier than I expected”** A voice called from behind her **“Don’t worry, I just arrived myself”** With a slight smile on her face, Chisato patted Kanon’s shoulder **“Catch your breath, the day isn’t going anywhere”.** Chisato was understanding when it came to her friend’s null sense of direction since she also had a rather similar problem, **“You can relax, today’s my treat”**.

 

There was a moment of self-enjoyment for both of them, focused on their drinks rather than on the person in front of them, that until the idol spoke first. **“I’m going to sound a little straight forward with this, but, did you, by chance, met with Misaki-chan yesterday?”** Could it be the unseen messages, or the fact she wasn’t at home when Chisato decided to visit the Matsubaras, but whatever gave it away, was way too obvious. **“I take your silence as an answer, I knew it was futile to tell you not to”** She let out a sigh, while the other girl didn’t knew where to hide, **“Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you, just a bit disappointed”** She didn't had a real reason to be, though, **“Chi-chisato-chan… I… I had my reasons to go and see her”** The blonde shook her head, dismissing the topic **“I’m not going to question it”**.

And silence settled once again, Kanon was deep in thought at the moment, questioning herself, though unnecessarily, if she had done right or wrong by going against Chisato’s words, **“It’s fine to worry about your friends, but there’s a limit you know, it’s not wrong to be selfish every now and then”** While the blonde didn’t want to be antagonistic, but until this day all she wanted was for Kanon to be a little less… Kanon.

 **“I don’t mind you spending more time with her, I’m no one to tell you who you can relate to or not”** _‘Though, I feel there’s something she’s not telling me…’_ **“Anyways, exams start tomorrow, I’m actually kind of nervous, though the break afterwards is worth it, don’t you think?”** A switch of topic, but the drummer merely nodded and the bassist kept talking **“Do you have any plans for it? Hina suggested we should go skiing, or something to do with the mountains, she was being a bit too noisy so I really didn’t pay attention”** Now Kanon felt guilty, again. **“Well, about that…”**

 **“I see… Well, at least I now know you have plans”** The explanation was simple and short, no extra details, nothing Chisato should know about, **“Ye-yeah, it was last minute, I was planning on telling you, but… I got a bit overwhelmed and I forgot”** Kanon looked down at her empty cup, letting out a defeated sigh **“I’m sorry…”**. Chisato couldn’t really blame her, her predicament was kind of the same **“Ah, I would have loved to go too, maybe next time… is that alright with you?”** Kanon nodded, the mood switching once again.

 

A brief but fulfilling respite, the time spent together by the two was cut short when Chisato received an unexpected call from the agency, unfortunately leaving earlier than she would have liked. Now it was Kanon all alone again. _‘I should get back home…’._

 

Later that same day 

 

**I think I got lost… : Kanon**

**Misaki-chan, are you there?: Kanon**

**Misaki: Where are you right now?**

**I think i’m close to school: Kanon**

**There’s someone here: Kanon**

**Misaki: Someone you know?**

**It’s Sayo-san: Kanon**

 

 **“Matsubara-san?”** The older Hikawa turned to see the person walking to her, **“May I know what are your business in school grounds on a sunday?”** Straight to the point. Kanon looked troubled, overwhelmed by Sayo’s stern attitude **“I… I got lost on my way home…”** **“Is that so?”** She nodded as an answer. **“Fine  then, I can guide you to the station, I was on my way there anyways”**. Kanon bowed, giving her thanks to her classmate before following her.

Sayo wasn’t one to pry on personal matters unless it affected her directly, or unless it affected on the academic performance of the students at Hanasakigawa, but since the opportunity was there for her, she might as well just say it. **“Matsubara-san”** In the quietness of the way to the station, the clueless girl looked around before facing the other girl **“Y-yes?”** **“There’s something that has been… bugging me, so to say, these past days”** Kanon tilted her head, looking at the other girl with curiosity **“What… what is it?”** **“You are friends with Okusawa-san, right?”**. Kanon could see where this was going to, as if life was testing her. _‘Fueeee….’_.

 

 **“I see…”** That’s all Sayo said, Kanon had a hard time being honest without saying anything else while on the way to the station, and even when boarding the train. **“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it, just make sure Okusawa-san is taking care of herself”** . The drummer sighed in relief, **“This is your stop, Matsubara-san, mine’s the next”** Back to topic, she nodded at her classmate, **“Make sure to employ your time properly, the next week is a tough one… I wish you luck”** **“I… I wish you luck too, Sayo-chan”** . The overwhelming feeling of having Hikawa around disappeared once Kanon walked away from the station and right toward her home. _‘Today has been a really weird day…’._

There wasn’t much left to do or to say in any side, but to focus on the oncoming week and whatever would happen afterwards. The days were as repetitive, but fleeting in their own sense. There was a moment when, without notice, the last bell of the last day rang.

 

Hanasakigawa High - After classes

 

 **“I’m beat…”** It was another weigh off her shoulders, yet the tiredness wouldn’t just leave her like that. **“Misaki! Misaki!”** And when she thought she could have a break. **“Not now Kokoro…”** **“Mii-kun!”** Just when she was having enough with one bundle of energy, the backup appeared. **“Mii-kun, Kokoron! I’m so happy!”** **“What happened Hagumi?”** Kokoro was instantly hooked to the joy train **“I answered all the questions! I didn’t leave blanks this time!”**  Knowing Hagumi, it was something to be proud of **“I knew you could do it, Hagumi!”**. Not so far from them, a tired **“Hai hai, yay…”** Could be heard _‘I’m so sleepy…’_. **“Mii-kun sound like Michelle when she’s tired”** Both girls laughed while the third one remained motionless on her desk. Misaki wasn’t planning on playing dead much longer, escaping the classroom as soon as she could.

 

**“Yay~ Party at Arisa’s house!”**

**“I didn’t say you could do it! ...I...I wouldn’t mind it, thought…”**

 

**“Shirokane-san, if you have a minute there’s something I would like to talk with you”**

**“Senpai? U-um… su...sure…”**

 

**“Aya-chan, this isn’t the place to cry”**

**“But I think I misspelled my name in the literature exam… I was so nervous!”**

**“At least you didn’t put your signature on it… did you?”**

 

Hallway banter, always filling the place with life. **“Misaki-chan?”** But if there was one voice she could heard above the others…

 

CiRCLE Live House

 

Circle had proven to be the best meeting spot for any situation, **“Kanon-san, you’ve been smiling all day”** Hand covered by puffy gloves hid the blue-haired girl’s face **“I’m sorry, Misaki-chan, is just that…”** **“I know, I know”** She couldn’t help but to also smile at the thought **“You are going to make me feel shy about it… So, when are we leaving?”** Back to the main topic  **“Kokoro-chan said tomorrow morning would be fine, the suits would come for us to get us to the Tsurumaki mansion, and we would go all together from there”**. If it meant a few days of sleeping, hot springs, and no pink bears, Misaki could make an effort in dealing with the idiot trio during the trip.

 **“I… almost forgot, but there’s Christmas coming up too… how.. How long are we staying?”** That was another matter, **“U-um… I don’t know, I didn’t thought about it... Maybe… after christmas would be fine…”** Misaki laughed nervously, it would be the first time since ever she would be spending a holiday away from home, though, it was the same for everyone else, **“I wouldn’t mind that… I’m sure my parents wouldn’t mind either”** Kanon spoke with determination, she hoped everything would be fine. Both remained in silence for a second before talking about the last arrangements for their trip, just to have a few acquaintances join by mere curiosity.

 

 **“Are you really that interested, senpai?”** For reasons that would remain unknown, both Rinko and Sayo ended up caught in the conversation, **“A-actually… we… we hadn’t had a break as a band… since… summer”**  The pianist got flustered at the memories from the beach, and having to wear a swimsuit, **“And** **there’s no need for one, we are fine as we are actually”** As expected from Sayo, **“And since Hina has been bugging me about going with her and her band, i’ll politely decline any sort of invitation”** . Both Kanon and Misaki smiled awkwardly before the Roselias walked away. **“We should get going, Misaki-chan, I still have to pack everything”**.

 

Okusawa Residence

 

By the time Misaki had gotten home, she headed straight to her room. Packing wasn’t something that took much of her time, given how limited her usual wardrobe was, aside from the various HaroHapi uniforms that were kept somewhere else. **“Even after all this time I never bothered to get more clothes…”** And going shopping last minute wasn’t an option given the time, **“I’ll be fine with this…”**.

Next step was to make sure the suits had retrieved Michelle and the equipment from CiRCLE, **“That’s it…”** Throwing her phone to the bed, she then threw herself at it, feeling relaxed for a moment. Although the relaxation was cut short when a call made her phone almost deafens her by blasting a certain ringtone. All she had to do was to put the call on loudspeaker and do something else. **_“Misaki, Misaki! Do you think Michelle would have liked to go with us?”_** The Tsurumaki girl started, while the Okusawa moved from the bed to her desk, grabbing her knitting tools and some felt. **_“We could have bathed all together and take turns to wash Michelle! But she couldn’t come, did you know?”_** **“Yeah.. yeah…”**.

The next few minutes were all about Kokoro and her delusion about the pink bear, Misaki couldn’t help but to let out a sigh when the other girl stopped talking. **_“Ah, by the way, Misaki, I just remembered why I called you”_**.

 

Packed in a hand-made box, the last felt doll was done, luckily the material was enough to make a few ones for a few selected people in her mind. **_“Alright Misaki, I’ll see you tomorrow!”_ **, The call finally ended after Kokoro’s endless ramble was transcripted to a notebook that contained the various HaroHapi lyrics up to the date.

A silent night with her family, she was asked questions indeed, but she knew how to get away from those. It was almost time for the Okusawas to sleep, but not without a minor detail Misaki wouldn’t dare forget. **“Mom, can you do me a favor?”** The woman turned around, slightly smiling at her daughter **“What is it, Misaki?”**. If she wasn't going to be there for Christmas, might as well leave a reminder.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning

 

With all the sleep she could gather during the night, Misaki made sure to leave before everyone else in the house woke up, and as it was planned, one of the black suits was waiting for her outside. With a yawn, she greeted the woman **“Good morning”**  Misaki lazily waved a hand at her, **“Good** **morning, Okusawa-san, just as it was instructed, by now the rest of the VIPs should be on their way to the Tsurumaki household”** **“Sure, sure”** The rather small luggage was put in the vehicle’s vault, and the girl hopped in with the intention of falling asleep during the trip. **“We are ahead of schedule, rest if you may, I can drive slowly if that’s the case”** **“Ah? Alright then…”**.

 

The trip was short, specially for the sleeping girl, whose respite was interrupted by the car’s suddenly stopping. **“Eh, ah… we arrived?”** . It took seconds to come back to reality, and a few more to realize that something was off. **“Suit C?”** It was rare the times she referred to the bodyguards by their 'names', usually not addressing them at all. Misaki didn’t have to think it twice before exiting the vehicle, and as it was expected, she was in front of the Tsurumaki household.

Looking around, the place was rather quiet, which could mean either everyone else didn’t arrive yet, or they were waiting inside. The big doors opened with ease, a small heat wave hitting the girl _‘This feels better…’_ **“U-um… sorry for the intrusion…”** Usually a maid or a butler, or even a suit, would welcome her, but nobody came. _‘Did Kokoro give everyone vacation today?’_ It was a possibility. **“Is… is anyone here?”**.

Simple curiosity led her to the drawing room, she thought everyone else would be there, but there was only the furniture, and the big whiteboard where the HaroHapi magic happened. A sole marker on the table, which Misaki took hesitantly. She wasn’t sure why, but her hand started to write. Kokoro, Hagumi, Kaoru, Kanon... Mi--. the last words were a blur in her eyes,  **“This… looks right”** A small sigh and a little smile, the placed the marker down on the table, getting ready to leave. _‘I need to find everyone else…’_

 

 _Tlick_ , the moment she placed her hand on the doorknob, something echoed around the empty room, just as something touched her feet. **“Hm?”** It was the marker, **“Ah”** She felt the obligation to pick it up and leave it back on the table _‘Must have placed it wrongly without noticing…’_. A thoughtful gaze looked around the room, because maybe, just maybe, she could swear she had written her name on the whiteboard. _‘The nerves about the trip must be getting to me… I better head outside…’_.

Escaping the room as soon as possible, quick steps walked down the hallway from end to end, and a turn followed by a sudden stop after reaching the main hall. _‘I’ll… I’ll call Kanon…’_. She fumbled around with her fingers before tapping the correct contact on her phone, the call soon connecting. **“Ka...kanon-san? It’s Misaki”** She kept walking down the hallways, making her way to the main hall while waiting for an answer, though she got nothing but the sound of interference, just as if someone blew air into the phone’s receiver **“Kanon-san? Kanon-san are you there?”**. There were several escenarios as to what was happening right now, but of the most, they all made Misaki shiver  **“Kanon-san, answer me!”**.

 

**“This isn’t Kanon~”**

 

Misaki’s fingers started to tremble _'That voice... no... I'm just imagining this...'_ , making her best effort to hold her phone. Heavy breathing, she attempted to open the main door to no avail. **“You are not real… you are… you are just a bear suit”** She spoke to 'whoever' was on the other side of the line, but the call ended just like that. Now that she would use both hands, usually it wouldn't impose a problem, but for some reason she felt weak, she put all her might on opening the gate falling backwards in a successful attempt. Though…

 

**“It’s Mi--”**

 

 **“--saki!”** A loud, high pitched voice, way more effective than any alarm, was what brought her back to reality. Opening her eyes, her blue ones met golden and a idiotic smile, both almost made her jump enough to hit the car’s roof. **“Yay, you are awake! Come, come, let’s get to the Smile-mobile!”** Just as fast as she appeared, Kokoro made her exit out of the vehicle, followed by a dizzy Misaki. **“Are you okay, Misaki-chan?”** Sweet, concern-filled voice, she followed it to its source, **“Kanon-san… I’m okay… just a bit nervous”** She wasn’t going to let an unexpected nightmare ruin their fleetingly planned trip. With two fingers she pinched Kanon’s sweater, **“Shall we go?”** , the other girl’s frown changed to a smile, nodding as they both started walking to the new vehicle.

Inside, Hagumi was already playing with the spinning chair on one side of the _living room_ , **“Faster, Kaoru-kun!”** Both were laughing without any concern whatsoever, **“I heed to your requests, my little kitten!”**. There were many faults to this plan, but one that was not taken into account was Hagumi being sent off flying toward Misaki, who just entered the vehicle **“Mii-kun, catch me!”**. Head against head, Misaki was sent to sleep again. **“Misaki-chan? Misaki-chan!”** Various voices filled with concern,  **“Mii-kun? Mii-kun, open your eyes!”**  Slowly everything started to faint,  **“My little kitten, for what you hold dear, keep your grasp on this world!”** Until all went black  **“Misaki~ It’s not time to sleep yet~”**.

 

? ? ?

 

When Misaki finally opened her eyes, everything was a blur for a moment, she saw white, yellow, beige, light colors all over the place. Then she saw light blue. **“Misaki-chan?”** The fog in her eyes slowly cleared up, more light blue, and violet, **“Misaki-chan, you are awake”** It was sudden, but she could feel a pair of arms wrap around her torso, holding her tight, just to be released mere seconds after **“I… I’m sorry!”**. **“Kanon-san?”** Kanon was blushing, feeling the need to turn around and hide her embarrassment **“What happened? Last thing I remember is… a headache”** Misaki brought a hand to her forehead, feeling something on it, it was an adhesive bandage. **“Ha-hagumi-chan was playing with Kaoru-san… and well… don’t be mad at her, please!”**.

She could have expected it, it was frustrating, but Misaki couldn’t say no to Kanon. **“Fine, fine… For how long have I been out?”**  For what she could see from the window, it was still daytime  **“Um, an hour or so, Kokoro saw some cows on the road and wanted to get closer to them… So we made an stop”** Misaki opened her mouth to question, but immediately changed her thought to an actual phrase **“I… see** ”. Getting up from her place of rest, it felt strangely calm inside the Smile-mobile, but the sounds from outside made it clear they were not alone.

 

**“A-any animal is a loyal m-mount if you try hard enough… so flee-fleeting!”**

**“Kaoru-kun! I want to ride it too!”**

**“Look, look! This one has really big horns!”**

 

There were many questions, as to why would anyone let their animals out in the wild in this time of the year, but they weren’t worth the time to be thought over. **“Ahaha… they must be having fun”** Misaki went back to her sitting position after closing the vehicle’s window. Her eyes met with Kanon’s, who sat on a stool in front of her, smiling. **“Does it hurt?”** The drummer asked, **“Eh? Ah, not that much, just a small sting…”** Reaching a hand to the band-aid, she proceeded to remove it slowly, **“Now it stings more”** Maybe a few hairs got stuck. But all Kanon did was to let out a small laugh, **“Here”** Said while leaning over, face getting a bit too close to Misaki’s.

A soft pair of lips were pressed against Misaki’s forehead, she could feel her face burning, and the sudden urge to turn around, but she remained still. **“E-ehehe…”** Kanon let out a small laugh, being in the same situation as she went back to her seat toying with her hands as she looked away.

 

 **“Let’s go to my family’s farm next summer!”** Kokoro’s voice made them jump back to reality, trying to look as natural as possible, **“Cows... are such... magnificent creatures…”** **“Kaoru-kun, your face is pale”**. While Hagumi kept poking fun at the shaking actress, Kokoro stopped to look the blushing pair. **“What’s up? Your faces are too red, did you catch a cold again, Misaki?”** **“It’s… it’s nothing”** She quickly stood up, in the search of the vehicle’s fridge just to dismiss the Tsurumaki girl’s words.

Meanwhile, Kanon kept folding the band-aid over and over, fidgeting with her fingers and ignoring the rest of the band as she was lost in thought.

 

The rest of the trip was uneventful for the most part, arriving at the place with no problem whatsoever. **“We've reached our destination”** **”We will take care of everything else from here”** Two of the suits spoke as they led the harohapi out of the Smile-mobile. The third suit guided them to the building, old-looking, yet well-kept, although equipped with modern installations on the inside. **“The premises had been reserved for Hello, Happy World, any guest they were likely to invite should be informed to any of the staff of the Inn, just like any other request you might have during your stay”**.

Right after the introduction, the idiot trio started to look for their room after being told they could get whichever they wanted. Misaki bowed to the suit in their behalf, **“We also made the accommodations you requested, Okusawa-san, please follow this way”** . Both Kanon and Misaki followed the suit down the opposite way to where the other three went, **“This is usually the room that is reserved for Mr and Mrs Tsurumaki, but given the situation, it was remodeled to civilian usage”** Misaki would question that later, **“Take these”** Both girls were handed one key each “As instructed, you won’t suffer from any kind of disturbance, please enjoy your stay”.

Without much else to say, the suit left in a blink, leaving behind a very confused pair. **“Why am I not surprised they took it a bit too overboard with the details…”**. Opening the door, Misaki braced for whatever the suits had done to the room, just to find the most ordinary setup, save for the modern 'not-yet-in-stores' furniture. **“Well, props to them, it’s… better than i expected”** Just as the suits said, their bags were left on one side of the room. Two beds, one kotatsu, tv set, a desk and chair, **“We should get changed, Misaki-chan”** It would be improper to walk around in casual clothes.

Now clad the inn robes, Misaki proceeded to fall on the bed, remaining still for various seconds. **“I just hope I can get a decent sleep for once…”** Exams, nightmares, flying Hagumis, the few times she could get a break was when she fell asleep in class. **“It’s still early, would you like to have a walk around, Misaki-chan?”** The girl on the bed lazily waved a hand at her friend **“Go ahead, I want to rest a bit more”**. Kanon didn’t protest, and just nodded before leaving.

The drummer was surprised when she found out that, in mere minutes, the whole place had been decorated according to the oncoming holidays, including a big christmas tree in the main lobby. **“Kano-chan-senpai! Do you think Santa will know we are here?”** Hagumi’s sudden appearance took Kanon by surprise, making her jump slightly in place **“E-eh? W-well… If there’s a tree here, he will surely come”** Or something along those lines **“Kokoron~ Did you hear? Santa will come here too!”** Unknown to the drummer, both Kokoro and Kaoru had tagged along **“Christmas, a time to spend among family and friends, but now, it’s more than just that, the day that brings smiles to everyone around the world!”** _Hakanai_ _~_. **“Kaoru-kun is right! Back at home, whenever it’s Christmas everyone is so happy, Kokoro, we should do something here too!”** The trio began machinating ideas, while Kanon sighed _‘We… already have the decorations though…’_.

 **“She… wanted to invite everyone else over?”** Misaki also sighed as Kanon told her about Kokoro’s denied plan, **“I… somehow convinced her not to, but she’s set on holding a party for all 25 of us…”** She let out an awkward laugh **“That kid…”**. **“So, Misaki-chan, how are you feeling?”** The question took the girl aback, but answered **“Honestly, I feel relaxed, you know, I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to make it”**. Both had walked around the building as it had gotten slightly warmer, probably the suits’ doing.

There was a lot going through Misaki’s head at the moment, not so long ago it had all been a fog and a mess, but she saw it get clearer as time went by, even if it just had been a few days. **“Kanon-san”** **“Yes, Misaki-chan?”**

 

 **“Thanks for being by my side through all of this”** They both stood in place, Misaki put her most sincere smile, and Kanon didn’t knew what to do at all. **“U-um…”** She stammered, yet not word came from her mouth, her friend’s sudden words had gotten to her. **“I… I’m sorry, that sounded kind of weird, didn’t it?”** The girl apologized, but the other shook her head in denial **“N-no, it’s fine, it’s just… how do I put this… you have been helping me ever since you joined the band… and when you came to me when you had your nightmare, I didn’t knew you trusted me that much until then… no, wait, I mean-”** **“I know, I know…”** Kanon’s words were quickly interrupted **“It’s not that I don’t trust the rest of the band, but you are the only one I feel fine talking to about these things…”** Misaki had other friends, but after all the things they had gone through together, she felt a strange closeness to the drummer **“Honestly, I guess if it weren’t for you, I would have left the band day one”** **.**

Kanon knew that, that the now DJ wasn’t very fond of Kokoro’s antics, or anyone’s for the matter, **“I guess I already claimed the place for myself and i’m in too deep to leave now… but I think, as long as you are there with me…”** Misaki’s eyes looked at the floor, she just couldn’t meet the other’s gaze as she spoke those words. Kanon couldn’t help but to feel responsible and guilty, if that claim was right, she was the reason why Misaki had to deal with HaroHapi’s day to day, _‘It’s my fault in the end… is it?’_ She doubted herself _‘No, if I put Misaki-chan through this, then I will be the one to help her’_ It was a small step of determination in a matter of seconds, **“If that’s so…”** Hesitantly, her hands reached for the other’s **“...Then I will do my best to be there for you”**.

There was shyness at one moment, before her fingers were intertwined, and they looked at each other, mustering courage to meet the other’s gaze. They didn’t said anything, in fear of ruining that small moment they created by just being close. It was unknown to them how it ended up like this, all they know if that they felt fine with it.

 **“U-um… Kanon-san”** **“Yes… Misaki-chan?”** As much as she enjoyed the closeness...  **“I… why don’t we… get inside? I’m feeling a little cold”** Misaki deviated her gaze from Kanon to a certain point not too far from them. Kanon then saw the gesture, following the signal just to spot a long strand of blonde hair sticking out from behind the corner. **“O-oh… Yeah, let’s get inside”** Swiftly letting go of each other, they entered the place through the closest door.

Meanwhile **“Misaki and Kanon were holding hands, do you think they need gloves?”** Kokoro, in all her innocence, suggested **“I don’t know, Kokoron, one time I was working at home, and I saw Kasumin and Arisa like that too”** Hagumi might be brighter than she looked, but at the moment she almost had the hint, it flew over her head **“Then Arisa screamed and ran away, and Kasumin laughed and ran behind her”**. Both girls kept bickering around the topic, although the third one didn’t spoke, and only watched, a smile appearing on her face.

 

Not so long after, both Misaki and Kanon found themselves in the inn’s kitchen. **“Staff only available during breakfast, lunch, and dinner…”** Misaki could already guess why, **“So, if we want anything outside those hours we have to make it ourselves?”** **“It doesn’t sounds that bad, looks like we just missed lunch, though...”** A pie-chart-looking clock was right beside the schedule, showing they were off by mere minutes. And just about Misaki was about to protest, the grumble of two stomach was heard.

 **“E-ehehe…”** Misaki let out a nervous laugh, **“Um, Misaki-chan…”** Kanon looked around the place for a second **“...Would you accept it if I made lunch for you?”** There was no point in saying no at this time, specially when neither of them has had anything to eat in the whole day. **“Well, if you are okay with it…”** It was easy to tell when Kanon was determined to do something, and for some reason it filled Misaki with peace.

It wasn’t long until the place was filled with an enticing smell, after all, Kanon picked up some skills from her mother. Misaki could only observe, thinking about offering a helping hand, but knowing she would be rejected, **“It looks so natural on you”** **“What do you mean, Misaki-chan?”** The DJ took a seat on a chair nearby, still looking at her friend **“I-I mean… looking at you cooking, so calm,”** _‘Anyone else would say she looks like a housewife… I can’t bring myself to say something like that’_. **“I know, my family sometimes teases me what I would make a good wife”** Kanon let out a small laugh, unbothered by the thought. **“Kanon-san… as a wife…”** _‘This feels so cliche_ ’ **“Anyways, I will take a walk around, I’ll be back in a minute”** That said, Misaki left the room feeling something she couldn’t easily describe, but made her cheeks go red.

 **“Ah, little kitten, what fate was it that has brought us together once more”** And just when she needed it the least, **“I wonder, what is it that makes your cheeks shine with such delicacy?”** Kaoru made her appearance, just as if she’s been waiting for her. **“W-what do you mean? It’s nothing”** She had to stop Kaoru’s hand from touching her face, **“A bit on the offensive, aren’t we?”** **“What’s with you?”**  Kaoru was known for having a weird behaviour, but right now, it was usually weird  **“Please, don’t misinterpret my intentions, little kitten, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have an unexpected fever again”** Kaoru made everything sound either dramatic, or a bit too serious **“I’m fine, it’s nothing at all”** **“If that’s what you say, then i’ll believe you”**.

 

The conversation stretched enough, but Kaoru had other plans at the moment, leaving just a bit before the door of the kitchen opened. **“Misaki-chan, the food is ready, I made something you would like”** She announced with a smile and a blush.

Steak, rice, curry, and fries on the side, just like a certain place from a certain place Misaki liked going to every now and then. She would have protested, but the grumbling of her stomach was louder **“E-ehehe… Thank you for the food”** Misaki sat properly, not thinking twice before taking the first bite, meanwhile Kanon stood by her side, looking expectantly for any opinion her friend might have.

The hunger was real, but in the end Misaki looked pleased **“It’s… it’s really good”** , and Kanon now felt joy **“Thanks, I did my best”** **“Even so, I really liked it”** Both of them smiled, **“Aren’t you eating too?”** Kanon shook her head **“I had my share while cooking, so I’m fine”** She tried to be humble, but failed at hiding her small sense of pride **“I’m just happy that you liked it, Misaki-chan”** Then proceeded to remove the apron and take a seat beside the other girl.

 **“I guess Chisato-san would get mad if she heard it”** Kanon looked at Misaki with certain curiosity, **“What do you mean?”** **“About you being a wife… I mean, it’s kind of obvious, if I were a bit like her I would also get defensive if someone tried to get too close to you...”**  Misaki fiddled with the hem of her sleeves, not daring to look at the other girl, also not realizing what she just said. **“That’s what friends are for, right? To worry about each other, and make sure only the best happens to them”** As positive as she could be, it didn’t change much the current situation **“Even so, if I had to marry--”**

 **“Happy, lucky!”** **“Smile, yay!”** Just as if the timing wasn’t perfect enough, two bundles of energy made their appearance in the kitchen **“Kokoron, you were right, they are here!”** **“Misaki, Kanon~ I found something really cool, come, come!”** Just as they entered, they exited the place in a blink, with the other two obligated to follow.

 

 **“This… is a piano”** **“Yes, it’s mom’s piano!”** Old looking, yet probably as expensive as the whole place, it stood there in an empty room. **“Misaki, play something!”** There was expectancy from Kokoro and Hagumi, Kaoru only observed, and Kanon was confused, **“...Why me?”**. The answer was given by one of the suits that appeared suddenly, who just happened to own a recording of the conception of a certain song that would later be used by HaroHapi every moment that it was possible.

Giving up, Misaki sat on the stool in front of the instrument, trying to remember, if possible, any song. It was trial and error until she hit the right keys, the notes eventually forming a melody, reminiscing of events that happened, in HaroHapi time, just recently. **“... _wacha mocha wacha mocha fura fururin_ …”** lyrics escaped under her breath, though no one dared to interrupt her, following the pace with small hums.

With two final notes, the song ended, **“It’s nothing, really…”** She dismissed it as the other four started clapping around her **“Good job Misaki!”** **“Mii-kun, Mii-kun! You should play in the band too!”**  She would just pretend she didn't heard that, **“A hidden skill, perhaps? So fleeting~”** **“Misaki-chan, you have a nice singing voice”** Misaki couldn’t help but to turn around to hide her embarrassment, letting out a nervous laugh, **“Come on, it’s nothing special…”**.

Before the praising kept going, Misaki stood up from the seat, letting Kaoru take her place at playing the instrument **“Little kittens, rejoice at the sound of a fleeting symphony~”**. Meanwhile, the blushing girl walked over to her jellyfish-loving friend, **“You did well”** **“You know i’m not good with compliments”** But Kanon only let out a small laugh, Misaki could only lean on the other’s shoulder to hide her red face. **“You don’t mind this, do you?”** **“Eh? No-not really”** After all, there was enough trust on each other.

 **“Ah~** ** _Hakanai~_** **”** From her position, Kaoru observed the pair’s closeness while still striking the keys with her fingers, **“Have my melody touched your hearts, little kittens? If so, I wouldn’t mind performing an encore”** Listening to Kaoru’s words, Misaki was made aware that she was being watched by the idiot trio, and in her position, she couldn’t help but to get even more embarrassed than before **“...Let’s go somewhere else, Kanon-san…”**. They made haste to escape the room and all the way back into their own.


	8. Chapter 8

Back in the room...

 

 **“How… how is my face…”**  With both hands on her face, Misaki wanted to hide her embarrassment, **“Cute”**  But Kanon didn't help at all, **“Kanon-san!”** It was shift in trust, but nevertheless, Misaki didn’t mind it that much, as long as it was Kanon. **“Hm? We never took our phones with us since we got here”** Change of topic, Kanon took hers from the night table between the beds, **“That’s true…”** So did Misaki, feeling slightly uneasy just by looking at the notificaciones and missed calls **“Mom is going to be mad…”**. **“Would you excuse me for a moment Misaki-chan? I have to make a few calls, I will be back in a moment”** With that said, the jellyfish lover walked to the small courtyard the room was connected to, **“Might as well do the same…”** Said as the DJ dialled home.

 **“Yes, yes, we are fine, Misaki-chan is fine too, and yes, it worked”** Kanon smiled to herself, the conversation with her mother going smooth **“Yes, it’s okay, we will be back before new year”** The conversation was short, ending with a ‘i love you mom’, but was suddenly followed up by another call. **“Chisato-chan?”** **.**

Meanwhile Misaki had been trying to reach her parents, but to no avail. Letting out a tired sigh, she lean back on the bed, looking at the ceiling with a frown on her face **“hm?”** The phone beside her suddenly started to vibrate, followed by a default tune. **“Unknown number…”** There was a moment of thought, but yet, she answered it. **“Hello?”** If anything, she could just ask the suits to track it down, but the worries were gone once the person on the other side spoke. **“Okusawa-san? It’s me, Hikawa Sayo”** As rare as it was, **“I apologize if I am calling at a bad time, I can call la-”** **“No no, It’s okay, I just didn’t expect you to be the one to call first…”** Misaki would correct herself, but Sayo clearing her voice was enough motive to remain silent.

 

Both calls ended with both girls sighing, Kanon walking back inside the room, **“I need a break… no, I need two breaks”** Misaki covered her face with a pillow, **“What happened, Misaki-chan?”** Muffled, yet clear, she answered **“Couldn’t reach my parents, they must be out or something… and Sayo-san called asking weird questions”** She would get to that later. **“I see, you should try calling them later, though… I got a call from Chisato-chan, something about Hina-chan making them walk to the top of a mountain…”** **“It was nice knowing them”**.

Kanon couldn’t help but to let out a small laugh at that comment, sitting down on Misaki’s bed. **“By the way, Misaki-chan… I was thinking, there’s a town nearby, I heard from the suits…”** Kanon looked at the pillow, in an effort of figuring whether her friend was listening or not **“...Well, I was wondering, would you like to go there for a walk tomo-”** _Snoreee_ , it took a few seconds to realize, but she smiled nonetheless, **“It’s okay, you should rest, Misaki-chan…”** Carefully removing the pillow, she put it under the sleeping girl’s head with care.

Upon exiting the room, Kanon was welcomed by a smiling Kaoru, **“We meet again, little kitten~, I dare ask, would you mind making me company for a moment?”** She wouldn’t say no, but curiosity was strong, **“Um, sure, I wouldn’t mind”**.

 

Somewhere else - Meanwhile

 

 **“Chisato-san, is everything okay?”** Aya asked, as the blonde looked out the window, letting out a sigh, **“I’m fine, Aya-chan”** She diverted her sight from the blizzard outside to Aya, Hina, and Maya doing who knows what in the cottage, **“Just a little worried”** . **“Is it about Kanon-san?”** What made it so obvious? Yet, Chisato wouldn’t say it like that **“It’s more about Kaoru, I just hope she’s behaving, did I ever tell you she had a weird habit of playing cupid?”**

The explanation was brief, but more than enough for Aya to understand, **“Chisato-san, I have something to say, and I hope you don’t get mad at me”** But The actress’s stern gaze pierced through the idol, who mustered her courage to say **“I think you are jealous”** . There was a small crack on the ice that covered Chisato’s heart, **“Chisato-san?”** . In a swift movement, Chisato stood up from her seat, walking to the next room. **“Maya, Hina, I don’t care what you have planned, but put that deer head back on the wall, and Eve, put your sword on it’s sheath!”**. As she heard that, Aya couldn’t help but to laugh.

 

Tsurumaki Inn - Some time later

 

 **“If there’s anything else you might need, just call us”** After the dinner was setup in their room, for reasons unknown were added the details of candlelight, when Misaki asked, the only answer she got was _‘It’s the habit for the former owners of this room’_. Then Kanon cut in, saying it was okay, then again, Misaki couldn’t say no to her.

 **“Kanon-san,”** Moving the candle away so they could see each other face to face, **“Is everything okay? You are… more quiet than usual”** She would be a bad friend if she hadn’t noticed the look in her eyes, **“Did anything happen while I was… sleeping?”** Misaki actually felt bad for falling asleep, at the same time she was glad she could finally rest after so long.

 **“Eh? No, everything is okay, it’s just that…”** There was still _that_ , **“...um, would you like to go for a walk tomorrow? There’s a town nearby, and I thought maybe we could look for gifts for everyone”** , Misaki herself was busy enough downing a bowl of rice, **“I-I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want”** After putting down the bowl, Misaki could show a smile **“Kanon-san, I never said I didn’t want to”**. Kanon’s expression brightened, **“Alright, then let’s go tomorrow after lunch!”**.

 

 **“Misaki-chan, I don’t think you should lay down after you ate… specially after eating that much”** **“Don’t worry, I slept so much today I don’t think I might be able to sleep tonight…”** It was a bit after the staff of the inn cleaned the room for them. Misaki was sitting on the bed, looking at her phone, **“And still no answer…”** She let out a sigh, as another attempt to call her parents didn’t went through, seeing this, Kanon didn’t hesitate to sit beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder **“It’s okay, Misaki-chan, maybe they are busy…”**.

Maybe she should be honest and tell that one conversation she had with her parent the day before, maybe she should just wait and see how things turn out. Misaki moved to the side, her head against Kanon’s shoulder, **“Maybe I’m worrying too much, I should be enjoying myself right now”** The aqua-haired didn’t knew what to do or say, limiting her actions to placing a hand on her friend’s head **“It’s going to be okay”**.

That was one moment were Misaki felt safe, even if for a short while, as the beeping sound of the room’s intercom broke the mood while one of the suit’s voice could be heard, **“Okusawa-san, Matsubara-san, I’m sorry for any interruption, this is to notify that the hot springs are fully functional and available for use if you wish to use them, over and out”**. _‘Did they had to add that at the end?’_ Misaki thought as she let out a sigh, **“What do you say, Kanon-san?”** The girl’s cheeks had a tint of pink on them, one of her hands fidgeting with Misaki’s hair clip as she still had it on her head, **“U-um… no, i… i’m fine”** That wasn’t what she mean, but couldn’t bring herself to being honest.

 

Misaki sat by herself among the steam of the hot springs, letting her worried be washed away as she attempted to relax. **“I needed this… so much”** This was going against what she said, but she could fall asleep right there _‘Kanon-san should have come…’_ , it took a second until she realized what she just thought about, she felt her face heating it, dismissing it as the effect of the hot water.

Back to her usual thought, Misaki leant back, sliding in deep enough to have half her face out of the water. _‘I need to get something special for Kanon-san tomorrow… I made a felt doll for her, but…’_.

 

**“For a moderated person you want to go overboard with her, don’t you?”**

 

A cold shiver went down her spine, **“Who’s there?”** She suddenly stood up, the voice was clear, but not enough to make it out who was it from. _‘What was that… I mean, the suits wouldn’t let anyone get through without permission… maybe the water is too hot for me’_. She felt small tension build up inside her, still going back into the water for a quick submersion to clear up her mind.

 **“Ah….”** Taking a deep breath as she went back to the surface, Misaki felt small relief while removing strands of hair from her face, _‘I should get going, this won’t do me any better now’_.

Back in the changing room, the girl couldn’t help but to look at the door that lead to the springs, for once, she swears she saw a round silhouette on the other side, making haste to get changed and get back into the main room, where she was greeted by Kanon. The aqua-haired girl looked at her friend with curiosity before speaking, witnessing how this one locked the changing room door with the key before walking back **“Is… everything okay, Misaki-chan?”** Her violet eyes looked at the state of the girl, noticing her messy yukata and distressed expression.

Misaki shook her head immediately, walking past Kanon on her way to the bed, **“Nothing, the water was a bit too hot for me”** , there she picked up her phone, making a last attempt to call home. **“Misaki-chan…”** Kanon couldn’t help but to feel worried, wondering how she could change like that from one moment to the other.

With the lights off, there wasn’t much left to do for them but to sleep, at least one of them planned on doing so, while the other couldn’t stop thinking and wondering.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning

 

A new day, chill and colder than one before, Misaki might have regrets about going to sleep without cover. First thing she did was to _borrow_ the cover from Kanon’s bed, which was empty by the moment, and use them along hers just to warm up

 **“Misaki-chan?”** Misaki moved the cover so she could at least see the other girl, she was greeted with a smile and a cup of coffee, it took second for her to sit up, receiving the beverage with a pleased look on her face. **“I don’t know how you take it, I hope it’s not too bitter”** Kanon was putting her best on it, yet Misaki questioned those actions internally, though, the smell of coffee was stronger.

 **“Don’t worry, I like it dark with little sugar”** Helps her to stay awake anyways, **“Thank you”** She took the cup from Kanon’s hand, giving it a quick sip, **“I… needed this”**. There was a look of contempt on Misaki’s face, **“I brewed it myself”** Now she was going to enjoy it even more.

 **“Also, good morning, Misaki-chan”** **“Morning, Kanon-san”** Last night worries seemed so distant at the moment, **“What time is it, Kanon-san?”** She was too comfortable in the bed to move to get her phone, and there were no visible clocks **“Um… about… nine”**. Misaki’s expression changed, **“...Did I slept that much?”** Now she felt bad about it, **“I’m sorry! I woke up way earlier, I thought about waking you up but…”** Same as always, there was no way of getting mad at Kanon for a silly mistake like that **“Don’t worry about it, I mean, there was sleep i needed to catch up from the past weeks…”**.

 

Hours Later - Mountainside Town

 

The ambience was similar to the commercial district back home, streets filled with holiday decorations. It was just Kanon and Misaki, managing to escape the other three with the help of the suits. **“This is so cute…** ” Kanon was amazed at the escenery, completely different from home, and even if she felt that something was missing, **“Come on, Kanon-san, let’s look for something for the band”**. Misaki pinched Kanon’s sleeve, just to make sure she wouldn’t get lost in a new place.

Misaki was glad to see that Michelle’s and thus, Kokoro’s influence did not got that far, at least not yet, feeling relief when she saw that little to not shops had the pink bear anywhere. **“Where should we go first?”** Was the main question, **“I don’t know, any gift shop would do, or maybe an accessory shop…”** Misaki’s mind was mostly set in spending her free time just walking around, and hoping that the grey clouds above them were just passing by.

 **“What would they like… Kokoro would love anything with Michelle in it… and Hagumi likes a lot of cute stuff”** **“Don’t give it much thought, something that matches and comes in a set of five would suffice for them”** Or maybe six, who knows, **“Penguins maybe, or those animal keychains?”** There wasn’t anything in particular she knew they would want, given how Kokoro had always the solution for everything in one way or another, **“Why don’t we go different ways to see if we can find something?”** Misaki’s answer was to pinch the hem of Kanon’s sweater as she looked at her in the eyes **“Oh, it’s fine then, Misaki-chan, let’s go together”** Right after that, she took Misaki’s arm with hers, giving away a soft smile.

 

Not so long after, Misaki was blushing at Kanon’s sudden contact, **“This looks good on you”** A new hairclip Kanon just happened to have on her, all because Misaki forgot hers before leaving **“Ever thought about another hairstyle Misaki-chan? I know you tie it up for tennis club, but…” “I know, I know, it’s not that I don’t want to change it,”** She tried to put on her best smile, **“It’s just that I don’t think there would be much to do about it”**. Kanon, unexpectedly, threw a glance at Misaki.

 **“Though, I wouldn’t mind trying another style.. Maybe a ponytail, or something”** And while she was speaking, **“Look!”** Kanon handed her a small mirror, in which she, out of inspecting, looked at the bag under her eyes, **“....Kanon-san….”** From the side of Misaki’s head stuck out a side-ponytail, in addition of Kanon now having her hair loose, **“I just wanted to know what it would look like on you”** But she wanted to laugh, **“Kanon-san!”** The girl didn’t doubt before removing the hairband and straightening her hair with her fingers, blushing with embarrassment. “Now I wonder, how would you look like in clothes like mine?”. And their small trip just started.

 

First stop was the aforementioned accessory shop, with assorted items from simple stuff to ‘too expensive for a highschooler’ stuff. “What kind of people shops here?” Misaki was too afraid to even look at a silver-ish necklace that caught her attention, “I think… the same kind of people that can afford to stay at the Tsurumaki family’s Inn…” Kanon held in her hands a hair comb shaped like a jellyfish, cute, but impractical.

 **“Kokoro would like this…”** More like an accessory, a souvenir, a pink crystal bear standing tall, but as imposing as it looked like, so was the price tag “...Maybe not”. “Misaki-chan, look” Turning around, she met with Kanon holding various bracelets, all from different colors, though **“Why are there two blue ones?”** One was dark, the other was light, **“You know how everyone has a color, right?”** As the manager, color coding everyone was the easiest way for Misaki to remember things, “So, I thought we could use these during out concerts” They didn’t look too fancy, nor too expensive, **“But my color is pink…”** Kanon merely shook her head **“Pink is Michelle’s color, I’ve always thought yours would be dark blue”** Thinking about it, her color was different from everyone else’s, muted amidst vibrants, but that was it **“You don’t like it, Misaki-chan?”** Eyes opening wide, Misaki put her hands in front of her, waving them in dismissal **“No, no, it’s not that, it’s just…”** _Click._ “It fits you” There was no way she could deny it, right?.

With a look to her bracelet, and then to the rest, Misaki held back a sigh and smiled instead “Let’s just hope we can afford them”.

 

Not so long after, Kanon took on the quest of looking for something that Chisato would like, though, she would have to wait until they went back home to give the gift. **“This one looks like Leon, do you think Chisato-chan will like it?”** Misaki had memories of said dog biting on Michelle’s leg a few months ago, somehow it’s owner never reprimanded him.

“I’m sorry to bring this up Kanon-san, but if there’s one thing I know Chisato-san doesn’t likes, it’s me” Misaki scratched her cheek with an awkward smile on her face, **“I don’t know, it might be just me…”**. “Chisato-chan is sometimes like that, don’t let it bother you, Misaki-chan” She would put her mind out of it, and then think about how she should make something for her other friends _‘Is it possible to make a choco cornet with felt…?’._

Stepping out of yet another store, this time they took separate ways, agreeing on meeting in the same place later. On her side, Misaki could finally stop bearing the smile she tried to hold up, feeling slightly relaxed, but a bit upset, **“Hm…”** A look at the wrapped box in her hands, once again thoughts of doubt were present in her head, _‘...Should I get something for her too…’_.  The question was, what could she give Kanon that she hasn’t given before?

 

Most of their time had gone away by just walking around and exploring the place, the clouds which were once only in the distance getting closer and attempting to cut their trip short. Luckily enough, their business in that place were over, **“How did it went for you, Misaki-chan?”** Back in the car, Kanon was the first to speak, **“Eh? Nothing interesting, everything was too… Kokoro-like?”** Meaning too shiny or expensive, **“Hm~ I really wanted that penguin plushie I saw” “You just miss Pen-chan, right, Kanon-san?”** The girl’s expression shifted with a hint of embarrassment **“It’s okay, let’s go to the aquarium before school starts again"** And that was a promise.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Hours later - Back at the Inn

 

**“Misaki~, Kanon, where were you?”** The moment they step inside, they were greeted by Kokoro,  **“Oh~ What’s in the bags? You two went shopping?”** Innocent curiosity, to which Misaki answered  **“Yeah, yeah, we are just gonna leave these somewhere”** Trying her best to dismiss the blonde her own way, “Why don’t you go play with Hagumi, or something?” “Hagumi is taking a nap! She ran a lot around the place, she’s so fast!” That wasn’t much of a surprise.

**“Oh, is that so then, we will be on our way then”** With an awkward smile, Misaki grabbed Kanon’s sleeve, in a subtle attempt to flee the scene, until  **“Wait, Misaki! This is your, right?”** . Then again, she would just try to dismiss it, but in this case she was forced to pay attention, **“My phone…?” “Yes! I saw it at the reception and I thought you might have lost it”** Kokoro explained  **“So I went to look around for you but even the suits wouldn’t know where you were”** Bless their shade-wearing souls.

Misaki took her phone, and decided to check for anything new on it,  **“Ah! Misaki’s parents called! I told them to call later since you weren’t here!”** . And indeed, looking at the call log, after so many outgoing calls there was an incoming one, which happened no so long ago. **“Th-thanks, Kokoro, I’m going to my room…”** , The small girl just smiled as she said  **“Don’t miss dinner!”** Before running back to who knows where.  **“Is everything okay, Misaki-chan?”** Kanon could obviously see the shift in her friend’s mood from one moment to another, **“Just a bit tired, don’t worry about it”** Misaki put her best smile to excuse herself.

 

Back in the room

 

Just as if all the energy had been drained from her, after putting her purchases aside, Misaki didn’t thought twice about laying down, **“Kanon-san…”** Her defeated voice called for help, **“...Should I call back again?”** But she didn’t answer, as all Kanon did was to take Misaki’s phone and hold it close to her,  **“I’m keeping this until they call, Misaki-chan”** She then proceeded to put it beside hers on the nightstand, **“I’m sure everything is okay, just forget about it for a moment… please?”** .

There was no way she could say no to Kanon, giving up to her wishes with a sigh and a smile,  **“Fine, if it's you… but”** Kanon tilted her head to the side in curiosity,  looking at Misaki, she saw her hand reach for something in her directing, then feeling something tug on her clothes  **“Could you…”** For the part of her face the eldest could see, she smile as she could notice the blush on Misaki’s face,  **“Ahaha~ If that’s what you want, Misaki-chan”** Proceeding to take a set at the edge of the bed.

**“I feel there’s so much going on, and I just can’t help but to worry about it even if it is the smallest thing”** A gentle hand brushed against the DJ’s hair, feeling her own face burn due to her mild shyness acting up, **“It’s okay, Misaki-chan, you worry because you care, the band is what it is because of you, and I can’t imagine how would it be if you weren’t here”** Pretty sure she would be bored at home, listening to her parents lecturing her and whatnot, **“I feel… everything would be more peaceful, yet….”** The grasp on Kanon’s clothes tightened, **“Forget it”**.

For whatever reason it might be, Misaki felt as if her heart would burst through her chest at any moment, specially when she felt a hand touching hers, and other touching her cheek, **“Misaki-chan… You are a bit red, are you feeling well?” “Y-yeah, everything’s okay”** She would have laughed it off, maybe she was spending too much time with Arisa, **“Just… just stay here for a moment”** _ Please _

 

It was unknown to her whatever was going on inside her head and to why her heart wouldn’t stop beating like a drum-roll, but from one moment to another, Misaki felt something other than the pillows beneath her head. “You look so troubled, so I want you to relax, I won’t be going anywhere” It was one of those moments that she wished could last forever. **“Kanon-san… why are you doing this?”**. The simplest answer **“I saw it on TV not so long ago, and I wanted to try it, you don’t like it?”**.

A lap-pillow was something she wasn’t expecting to get, at least not in the near future, and specially not from Kanon, though, it was a matter of minutes until her emotions settled down, doing as she was told, and relax as much as she could. **“The suits will tell us when dinner is ready, unless you want to do something else before then?” “Nah, I’m fine like this”** Misaki couldn’t wish for something better, eyes closed, a small sigh becoming soft breathing. At this point she swears she heard Kanon say something, but wasn’t really paying attention, as she slowly drifted off to get some rest.

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, i'm sorry for any errors i might have made  
> I love Bandori, I love Misaki, but I felt there was a lack of... something among the works i've seen of her  
> This was the result
> 
> I might/not continue this as this started as a personal project. I apologize in advance for any lack of updates. Tags will be updated as chapters are posted.


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